A/N - Some of these scenes were amongst the first ones I wrote for this story - a very long time ago. Thrilled to share them with you now. Thanks as always for the reviews, favs and follows - and I hope you enjoy! Merry Christmas!

-DSB

The weeks passed, and - as the physician had predicted - Emma did indeed improve with time. Still, Bae couldn't quite shake the feeling that something was still off. Her appetite had returned, along with her strength, but her exhaustion remained. He was often up at dawn alone, where once she'd been his constant companion. Even once she arose for the day, it was but a few hours until she begged a nap. He never begrudged her - merely hoped his smile would hide his worry - and though he knew Emma was aware she hadn't quite regained her energy, he didn't think she quite realized the magnitude of her fatigue.

And as it was, this day was no different. He'd wandered to the market to get a few supplies, while Emma had taken trap duty. She'd been successful, judging from the hare lying on the table, but she hadn't gotten as far as preparing it. Instead she was curled in the bed, a blanket loosely draped across her torso, blonde hair splayed across half of the bed as she snored softly.

He took a minute to look at her; for all of his worry she was looking better than she had at the worst of it. She'd filled out a bit - still thin, but her cheeks were less hollow and her color had come back. Lincolnshire had been good to her, apart from the sickness. He remained concerned, but perhaps the physician was right. With time - and rest - she was steadily improving.

He left her to sleep on the bed, instead grabbing the roasting pan, the knife, and the rabbit - taking them outside to prepare their dinner. By the time he came back in, rabbit dressed in the roasting pan, he found Emma awake and watching him.

He set the pan over the fire and walked over to press a kiss to her forehead. "Did you sleep well?"

"Indeed," she replied as she sat up, though her yawn betrayed her. "I feel so much better."

"It still worries me, Emma. You've been exhausted for weeks now, this isn't like you."

"I'm all right, Bae. You heard the physician, it's just a stubborn ailment. I don't even feel ill anymore... it's just that there's some days where I'm so tired I feel like I could sleep for a week."

The phrase stopped him cold; somewhere in the recesses of his memory he recalled her saying the same thing once before, and he couldn't shake the feeling that it was important. He heard her prattling on about her guilt over not contributing to the household, only half-listening as he tried to recall why the phrase was sticking in his mind. Then it hit him, his breath catching in his throat, and all at once the situation made sense. Emma's prolonged illness, her exhaustion, the physician's repeated inquiries about her romantic entanglements - it all came together in a moment, sudden understanding of what they'd been missing the entire time. He knelt in front of his wife, who was still seated on the edge of the bed, running on about trivial matters.

"-suppose I could have cleaned it before I lay down, but-"

"Emma… Emma!"

She squinted at the interruption. "Hmm?"

"I think I've figured it out, why you've been so unwell lately. Do you recall what you told me after your visit with Alexandra?"

Her squint deepened. "Alexandra?"

"Your friend - shortly after we were wed you visited with her… you spoke of how strange it was to see her as a wife and a mother."

"Yes, she'd talked about how exhausted she'd been and-" She stopped, mid-statement, and as her eyes grew wide Bae knew she'd come to the same conclusion as he had.

"Emma?"

"Hmmm?" she replied again, suddenly fixated on a point far off in the distance.

"Do you think…"

"Yes," she replied, slowly moving her gaze to meet his eyes. "It would make all the sense in the world."

He bit his lip, trying to read her expression, finding nothing there aside from shock and resignation. They'd never discussed children - not since their marriage had become a legitimate covenant - but he'd assumed they'd follow... some day. However, their present circumstances were far from ideal for that development, and the knowledge of that fact was written all over his wife's face.

He moved to sit next to her and took her hand, threading their fingers together even as she resumed her absentminded stare. "Emma?" he asked, his tone tentative.

"Hmm?" she replied distractedly, not shifting her focus.

"I love you."

Finally she looked at him, and the corners of her mouth lifted in a small smile. "I know," she replied, moving her gaze to their intertwined fingers as she began to play with them. "I know."

She remained lost in her thoughts for several minutes, under the watchful eye of her husband, desperately curious to know what was going through her mind. But he knew there was no making her talk if she was not ready, so he simply offered her comfort by his presence. After a few minutes, she quietly reminded him to check on the rabbit and he moved to the kitchen, busying himself with the preparations for their dinner.

He continued his careful watch on her out of the corner of his eye as he checked the potatoes, but there was not much to watch for. She remained seated on the edge of the bed, legs dangling, as she had been since the conversation had begun. Her eyes remained fixed on a spot on the far wall, an unreadable expression on her face, as she digested the news. Once Bae was satisfied with the state of their meal, he plated their food and called her to the table.

Their dinner was a quiet one; periods of small talk about the crops and the weather were peppered in between niceties about the meal, but neither dared touch the elephant in the room. Emma seemed to find more purpose in pushing her potatoes and carrots absentmindedly around her plate than in eating them, but Bae couldn't blame her - not when he found himself doing much the same. It was difficult to find an appetite in the face of such a shock, and he hadn't the physical symptoms to deal with as well.

Mixed emotions would be an understatement; outside of the whirling thoughts about how adding a child would challenge everything in their precarious lifestyle, Bae was filled with relief that Emma's recent exhaustion and illnesses were summarily explained away. As night fell, he crawled into bed next to her, lazily wrapping an arm around her from behind. She'd said barely a word all night, and from someone who spoke her mind without hesitation, he found it unnerving. He was unaccustomed to being kept in the dark when it came to her feelings, and it was beginning to worry him. "Emma?" he whispered. "Are you okay?"

Still she did not answer, instead wriggling closer to him. His hand subconsciously made its way to her midsection. She moved her arm to cover his, providing him with at least a bit of reassurance as she entwined their fingers above the tiny life that they suddenly found themselves responsible for.

In an ironic twist, Emma didn't sleep much that night, tossing and turning despite her exhaustion. Bae would no sooner drift off than she would move again, rolling out of his embrace and then back in as she slept fitfully if at all. By morning's first light his exhaustion caused his patience to run out.

"Emma. Talk to me. Please."

She lay facing him, as much distance between them as the small bed would afford, and when she finally met his gaze the expression he found in her eyes could be described as nothing other than panic. "Emma..."

"We can't stay here, Bae. We have to go back. To my parents'."

"But what about..."

Sitting up, she shook her head. "We're in no place to raise a child here. Not when we've other alternatives. We're barely making it work here, you and me. There's no space, not enough food, the cabin is in ill repair... This was never meant to be a forever home."

"But Cora..."

"Cora is the least of our worries! What if something goes wrong in the delivery, out here with no one to help us? What if I cannot provide for the child? Even if there are no complications, we've barely enough with just two of us - how will we feed him on our meager supplies? What if I die giving birth and then you have to watch our child starve to death? There are too many possibilities, staying here. We need to give him his best chance, and that means going back."

She was on the verge of tears, of utter panic, and that was so uncharacteristic for her that Bae was unsure how to handle it.

"Shhh," he replied, moving to wrap her in his arms. "Emma, dearest, calm yourself. It will be all right."

"No Bae," she shook her head. "I'm not sure it will be." She had calmed some under his touch, much of her panic eroding away, but fright and sadness remained in her eyes. The lack of light there caused his heart to ache, and he was determined to bring it back, regardless of cost.

"If you want to go, we'll go," he replied, wrapping his arms a bit tighter and pressing a kiss into her hair. "But the journey is long. Are you sure you're well enough?"

"I don't want to go," she replied. "Our time here has been a wonderful respite from the madness. But I don't feel we have a choice. We have to think of the child now," her voice caught in her throat a bit, "and we'll all be safer there than here."

"The journey..."

"-is better done now than some months from now, when maneuvering is harder. At least my body is still mostly my own," she said, the corners of her mouth showing a ghost of a smile.

He nodded. "Very well then. We can prepare today, set out tomorrow." She opened her mouth to object, but he shut her down before she'd even had a chance to begin. "You need to rest before we go. After your night last night, you're in no shape to begin such a trek."

The yawn she let out proved his point. He laid her back down in the bed, carefully covering her with the blanket, almost humorously threadbare from months of all-purpose use. "I'm going to go retrieve some berries for breakfast. You rest, I'll return in a bit."

Hours later, she awoke to find the promised bowl of berries sitting on the table, but no husband anywhere to be seen. She peered out the window and found him, kneeling in the garden and coated in dirt. Grabbing the bowl, she went out to greet him, and he flashed her a bright smile as she appeared around the corner.

"You're up!" he greeted her, and she nodded, popping a couple of berries in her mouth. "Feeling better?"

"Immensely improved," she said. "What can I help you with?"

"You can go back inside and continue to rest up," he replied, but it was no surprise when a sour face was her answer. "Fine. How about if you keep me company while I finish here? Trying to harvest a few things to take along on the trek."

"How long do you think it will take? The journey, I mean," she asked, taking a seat on a cut tree stump nearby.

He sat back on his heels, wiping his dirt-covered hands off on his pants, and looked up at her. "I'm not sure. It took us six or seven days to get here, if I recall, but that was from the cave. Your parents' is a day or so past there. Plus I'd imagine we'll be taking it a bit easy..." He trailed off, shooting her a meaningful smile. "I'm hoping for a few days shy of a fortnight."

She nodded, contemplating.

"You still want to go?" he asked gently.

"I still think it's the only real option we have."

"If we had a carriage, of course it would be much shorter. But traveling by foot..." He shook his head, resuming his careful pawing through the dirt. "There's no way to take enough provisions for the whole time, but we can carry supplements at least. I'm going to go rinse these in the stream," he continued, standing. "You'll wait here for me?"

She nodded again, enjoying the fresh air and early summer sun. Leaning back against the cabin, she shut her eyes and considered what returning home would actually mean. All she'd been able to focus on that morning had been the need to get her family to safety, into a more stable situation than their current one. Her parents' castle represented that for her. What she'd failed to consider was the piece where returning meant moving back under someone else's roof. She and Bae had been on their own for the entirety of their marriage, and being cut off from society had forced them to rely on each other like nothing else could have. How would that work with going back to parents who undoubtedly still saw her as a child? The past months had changed her in ways that extended beyond her relationship, and she wasn't sure if her doting parents would be ready to accept that. The fact remained that their options were slim, but even knowing that returning to the castle was their best option didn't mean it would be easy.

A voice interrupted her reverie. "Sleeping sitting up, princess? You know we do have a lovely bed inside." Emma had been so lost in her thoughts that she'd failed to hear Bae return, and she opened her eyes to greet him with a smile.

"I don't know that lovely is the word I would choose," she replied, and he chuckled. "No, I was just thinking about my parents, and how all that will work when we return. I'm not so much their little girl anymore."

"No," he shook his head, "No you're not." He offered her a hand and she stood, walking by his side into the house. "I don't know them well, but they clearly adore you. I'm sure you'll be able to come to an understanding."

Emma raised an eyebrow. "You're taking quite the leap, willing to go live with practical strangers."

"No bigger than the leap you took coming to live with me."

She smiled, assuring him there was no malice in her words as she gently rebutted him. "That was under duress, Bae."

"I remember it well," he said with a chuckle. He stared at her for a moment as he set his parcel down on the table and wrapped her in his embrace. "I am so fortunate my crazy father chose you," he continued, voice heavy with emotion as he placed a kiss on the top of her head. Drawing back, he kept his hands on her shoulders as he looked into her eyes. "You're my family now, so no, I don't consider it a leap to follow where you need to go. You've made some excellent points, Emma, and while I think we'd manage just fine if we remained here, it's far more important that you feel comfortable as things progress these next months. You're asking me to live in a palace with a benevolent king and queen as in-laws. It's hardly a torture chamber."

She laughed, pulling him down for a brief kiss before stepping away. "Thank you," she said. "For respecting me. That's a rare thing in this land."

"And you, dear heart, are a rare person, worthy of all that respect and more. This is a partnership, always has been, regardless of the antiquated customs of our land."

Even from across the room, he could see her blush as she ducked her chin down self-consciously. She'd begun sorting clothes, ostensibly to pack, and he shooed her back towards the bed. "Rest up, Emma," he implored.

She couldn't resist a cheeky reply. "What happened to the partnership?"

"Sometimes different roles are necessary. Right now, you have a job to do that I cannot, and that is to reserve your energy for the weeks ahead. I can pack, you rest," he replied.

"Fine." She let out on an annoyed sigh. "But let me see what it is you're bringing."

He raised an eyebrow, thoughts hearkening back to the similar conversation they had the very first time they ran - so similar in word yet so different in spirit. She clearly had the same thought, as her face broke into a teasing grin. "Maybe you'll listen to me this time."

"Half a year later and I've yet to be convinced lugging a weighty hairbrush was crucial to our survival." She rolled her eyes as he chuckled, beginning to sort through the pants she'd folded. "Do you think you can get away with three pair for the journey?" he asked, holding up a pair of tan ones.

"Don't take those," she said in reply, "They don't fit." Once again he raised an eyebrow. "I put them on the other day and could barely get them buttoned. I was baffled." She paused briefly, biting her lip as she sent him a small smile. "I'm not anymore."

He nodded and cast them aside, and she directed him towards a grey pair. "The ones we got from the market are a bit looser. Just take those and a couple of dresses, higher waists. I'll have new ones made once we arrive." Another nod as he took care to choose several dresses that he knew would be as unrestrictive as possible.

In the meantime, Emma curled on her side - too interested in observing Bae to fall asleep. She watched quietly as he moved about the cabin, piling this or that onto the table - then scowling and removing something that he seemed to find redundant. Once he finally became satisfied with the piles, she watched as everything dense or heavy got loaded into his satchel, leaving hers weighing barely half as much as his. Her annoyance was tempered with amusement and she held her tongue - there would be plenty of opportunities to remind him that pregnancy didn't make her an invalid. Perhaps most the amusing part was watching him load most of the food into her bag - no one could ever accuse her husband of not knowing his wife. It was only a shame that much of the food fit for traveling was squirrel jerky.

Bae fastened the clasp on the bag and turned back to check on her - clearly surprised to see her still awake. "No nap?"

She shrugged. "I just got up."

He screwed up his face, looking at her suspiciously. "I suppose."

"Thought I might go check the traps, get some water for dinner. Best if we can plan to be early to bed - get started first thing in the morning."

"Mm." He nodded in agreement. "Probably wise. You're well enough to-?"

"Bae," she interrupted, a loving tone to her voice despite the eye roll she sent his direction, "I checked the traps far sicker than this. Women have been having babies for thousands of years - we're not made of glass."

"I suppose," he said, with a sigh. "I just - I need to take care of you." A pause and a shuffling of his feet and then he mumbled, "Both of you."

"You will, and you do. Just consider your duty now to trust that I know my limitations."

He sighed - reluctant to acquiesce, she knew - and nodded. As she rose from the bed and walked past him, he caught her wrist. "I love you," he said, pulling her down to press a kiss to her temple.

"And I you, dearest," she replied as she headed out the door. "Every overprotective bit."

"Pair of woodchucks and some goosefoot," Bae said with a chuckle. "Fine final night's dinner we're having."

Emma shrugged. "They say goosefoot is good for upset stomach - though I doubt that; for all that you fed me it never cured the queasiness."

"Perhaps because the queasiness stemmed from more than just a stomach bug, dear heart."

She stuck her tongue out at him, a reminder that she was far better suited to peasantry than princesshood. "You go on and tell yourself that."

"Just think… in a fortnight we'll be eating a royal feast, prepared by the finest chefs in the kingdom, goosefoot and squirrel and asparagus behind us."

Emma grinned. "I can hardly remember what real food tastes like - it's been trapping and foraging for so long now."

"Something tells me you'll waste no time reacquiring your tastes."

She laughed, and they chatted on about the niceties of civilization that they'd missed - solid walls, freshly washed clothes, baths not taken in a stream. Excited anticipation of these small luxuries at the forefront of their minds, they were almost able to banish the elephant in the room. Almost.

By the time they finished their meal, darkness was approaching outside. As Bae finished with storing the last of the scraps, Emma pulled on a fresh tunic and tucked herself away in bed. She let out a yawn and he looked over at her, trying to discern her state of mind. For all that they'd discussed the last day, they hadn't really talked - not beyond the logistical matters of their situation.

He'd some idea of his own feelings - the kernel of joy amongst the worry and apprehension - but none whatsoever of his wife's. She'd calmed significantly since the day prior - peace of mind gained in having a plan - but still, he'd no idea where her emotions sat beyond the immediate. He'd no interest in upsetting her, but found himself suddenly consumed with a need to know where her feelings lie.

And so, he dressed for bed and crawled in next to her, pressing a kiss to her forehead before he spoke.

"Emma, dearest," he approached the question gently, left hand stroking her hair as he spoke. "I know you're frightened - about our journey, about Cora, about the child - all with good reason. But I have to know, is there any portion of you that is... pleased with the turn of events?" His eyes searched hers, worry contained within them.

She sat up as she contemplated the question for a moment before offering a cautious answer. "I've been taken aback, the last day or so, of how protective I feel of this little being. When I think... if anything should happen to him..." She shuddered a bit. "I would gladly lay down my life for this child, who exists at the moment as little more than an assumption in our minds."

"That would be a bit counterproductive, my dear," he said, a teasing glint in his eye.

"Beyond that, though... fear and happiness are not really able to coexist, and as you say, I'm rather fearful at the moment... or worried, perhaps. But when I push the fright down, there is a spark of light there, and given time I have no doubt that this spark will grow to great happiness." She smiled. "If what you're really asking is if I am pleased about this child, yes, I am. I would have chosen different circumstances, without question... but a child... I was raised to see that as the greatest gift one can have. Beyond true love, of course."

He nodded, digesting her words, and she curled back into his arms, taking a turn at pressing a kiss to his cheek as she did so. "What of you, dearest? It's a big change, from unfettered bachelor to protector, husband and father in barely half a year."

He snorted. "Unfettered? You've met my father, haven't you?" She chuckled as he loosed a deep sigh into her hair, silent for a moment before he responded. "I just... he can't grow up the way we did. He has to know he's loved, for himself, not clung to out of fear or valued because he's the kingdom's heir. He should never feel his safety is bought with collateral harm to others - never feel that we value wealth, or power, or the kingdom above him. His life should be a reflection of all we have here in Lincolnshire - that nothing is insurmountable if we have each other."

Emma nodded, her hair tickling against his skin. "And you're - pleased? About his presence?"

He smiled. "As pleased as anyone could be to find his heart is held by someone no larger than an apricot."

She reached over and shoved him. "Can't you be serious for once?"

"I'm completely serious, dear heart. He's stolen half of what was once yours entirely - and though I've half a mind to apologize, I suspect you understand better than anyone."

"Indeed."

"As a boy, I loved my father wholly and completely. Until you, I never dreamed I could again - and until yesterday, I certainly couldn't imagine it could extend further. Now though..." He shook his head, burying yet another kiss in her hair. "I'll do right by you both, I swear it. I can't do to him what my father did to me."

She turned to catch his eye, fingers placed under his chin to fix his gaze to hers. "You won't," she said solemnly. "I know you, Baelfire, better than I've known anyone. You're a good man. You won't fail your son."

He nodded - the words steadying, if not as convincing as she would have liked. He pulled her close once more, feeling her breath light against his cheek as she drifted off to sleep. It didn't take long for him to follow - a safe and dreamless slumber as they rested up for the long journey home.