Ack! Guys, I am SO sorry I haven't been updating. Everything has been insanely hectic, especially emotionally for me. No excuses, though. I hope that I can get this story started back up again in my head... love y'all.
Tam was awoken by the bell for afternoon sessions, and someone coming into the office.
"Hey, Elwin. Uh, can I stay here for a bit? It's... uh, Cognate session, and Fitz and I are... not on the same page."
Sophie. Shit.
"Sure. Sit on one of the cots, I'm sure that I can find something that can keep you out of class for a bit."
"Thanks."
Tam rushed to the doorway to intercept her. He leaned against the doorway, blocking her view. She was wearing an oversized sweatshirt, despite the fact that it wasn't that cold.
"Tam? Why are you here?"
"Same as you," he said.
She narrowed her eyes. "You're skipping Cognate lessons?"
"Uh... no, I'm... skipping... alchemy."
"Why?"
"Because... I want to?"
Keefe decided that that was the best time to wake up. He groaned. "Tam?"
"Is that Keefe?"
"Uh... yes?"
Sophie shoved past him. "I thought something happened when you didn't show up—" she gasped and ran to him, tears welling in her eyes. "What happened," she whispered.
"Uh..."
"Please tell me, Keefe."
A few seconds of silence passed before he spoke. "My dad. I told him, and he... well, you can probably see what he did."
"Oh my gods, Keefe. Why didn't you tell me?"
"Because I could barely move, and I didn't want you around my dad!"
"I can defend myself!"
"I know, but... I didn't want to risk it."
Hot tears were streaming down her face as she faced Tam. "Thank you," he choked out.
He smiled sadly at them, then silently left the room.
"I love you," Sophie murmured in his ear. "I'm so sorry—"
"You have no reason to apologize, Foster," he said, smiling sadly at her. Tears were shining in his eyes, too. "I'm sorry," he said, blinking furiously.
"Why?" She asked, giving him a very confused look through her tears.
"Because I'm not strong enough to not cry," he admitted.
"Oh, Keefe," she sighed. "One of the smartest people in my life once told me that even the bravest and strongest and most courageous people cry. And you are all of those. So cry however much you need to, because I'm here."
He took a shaky breath and smiled. "Thank you."
She kissed him gently, and he cried into her shoulder.
"We'll figure it out," she told him. "I promise."
His sobs faded in a few minutes, and she kissed him gently again. He smiled at her, the first time he'd smiled in what seemed like forever, but had really only been a few hours.
Sophie rested her forehead against his. "I love you."
"I know. You've told me at least ten times in the last two minutes."
She rolled her eyes, but smiled.
"I love your smile," Keefe said softly.
She blushed, and he leaned his head up just enough to kiss her.
"I love your lips, too," he whispered in her ear, making her toes curl in her sandals. "And your neck. And that little spot on your shoulder—"
"Quit that," she scolded him, the tips of her ears red.
"I did nothing," he argued, raising his eyebrows in mock innocence.
"Really? Then I'll just do nothing back." She kissed him, carefully enough to not do anything that might hurt, but hard enough that he groaned into her mouth.
Someone cleared his throat from behind them. Sophie pulled back quickly, her entire face red.
"Let's find some health problem to pick at, shall we? Or would you two like to continue making out?"
Sophie rubbed the back of her neck and laid down on the cot next to Keefe's, where Tam had been passed out for an hour before.
Elwin gestured to her huge sweatshirt. "What the heck are you wearing that for? It's not winter anymore!"
"Uh..."
"If you have something under it, it might be better if you take it off."
"Um, actually, can we not do this?" She asked, sitting up suddenly, remembering exactly why she was wearing it.
"Well, we need to have some reason for you not to be in Telepathy."
"But... uh..."
"Sophie," he warned. "What are you not telling me?"
"Nothing! I just don't want to have a checkup!"
"If you really don't want to tell me, that's okay, but if it's messing with your health, then I have to know."
"I... don't think it's messing with my health?" She said, looking at Keefe for help. He just gave her a sorry, can't help with this one kind of look.
"I think I should check it out, Sophie."
"No!" She yelped.
"Foster, it might help," Keefe said quietly.
She raised her eyebrows at him. "What?"
"You know, with the symptoms that you've been having." He was talking about the horrible cramps that had been terrorizing her for at least two weeks.
"Symptoms?" Elwin asked.
"Keefe!" Sophie whined. "But we just told everyone else, like, yesterday!"
"So?"
"Sophie, if you're having symptoms of whatever this is, then I need to check it out."
Sophie sighed defeatedly, slumping back into the cot. "Fine."
"Sweatshirt?" Elwin asked politely.
Sophie sat up and tried to take the sweatshirt off, but she got tangled in it.
"Tam," she grumbled. "Please help."
Tam came in from the other room, then laughed as he saw Sophie.
"Stop laughing and help me!" Sophie mumbled.
He came over to help her get out, and Keefe chuckled. "Getting handsy with my girlfriend, Bangs Boy?"
"Of course," he replied, getting her out and pulling her into a hug.
Sophie just rolled her eyes. "Both of you are insufferable, you know that?" She wormed her way out of Tam's hug, and Elwin's eyes widened.
"How... uh..."
"Well," Tam started to explain, "these two decided to have unprotected sex, so—"
"TAM!" They both screeched at him, their faces red.
Elwin chuckled. "I kind of got that. But thank you for the colorful description, Tam."
Tam bowed, flourishing his hands. "No problem."
Elwin turned to Sophie, who was still glaring at Tam with a tomato-red face.
"May I ask questions?" Elwin asked politely.
Sophie nodded, ripping her eyes from their job of boring into Tam's soul to looking down at her lap.
"How far are you?"
"Twenty weeks."
"...I see. And Keefe is the father."
It wasn't a question, but she nodded, her face on fire.
"Mm. And... you guys were planning on hiding this from the public?"
"Yeah?"
Elwin opened his mouth, then closed it, then opened it again. "You do know that you are incredibly famous, right, Sophie?"
Her heart stopped. "Fuck," she whispered.
"Language."
"You literally swore when we came in here," Tam pointed out.
"Shush!"
"I am so fucked," she groaned, lying back on the cot.
"No, you were—"
"Shut up, Tam. I don't want to hear it," Sophie snapped.
"Sorry."
"Gods, what am I going to do!? I can't just... hide a baby!" She looked over at Elwin, expecting him to have a suggestion.
He smiled softly at her. "I'm sorry, Sophie. I don't know."
Her eyes darted to Tam, who's eyes were focused on his shoes, then to Keefe. He looked about ready to cry again.
"Uh, I'm sure we'll figure it out," Sophie said quickly, not wanting Keefe to worry after what he'd already been through that day.
Elwin bit his lip and sighed. "Okay. Well, moving on, have you been getting at least eight hours of sleep?"
Sophie thought about it for a moment, then shook her head. "I can't. Too much homework, and school starts too early."
Elwin sighed again. "I'll have to ask your teachers to calm down on the workload."
"No! Elwin! I don't want everyone to know now!"
"Sophie," he warned. "You need to be healthy."
"But not right now! In a little bit!"
Elwin groaned. "Fine. I'll give you a week."
"Two?" Sophie asked hopefully.
"One and a half," Elwin compromised.
"Fine."
"Good. Now, I need you to drink one of these every other morning." He handed her a tiny vial that fit in the palm of her hand with plenty of room to spare, then gave her a little box full of even more of them.
"Why?"
"Because it helps the baby's health."
Sophie sighed. "Okay. Great. What else."
"Uhm, well... may I look at the baby?"
"Uh. Yeah."
"Thank you."
He came closer to her and waved a hand, knocking his glasses onto his nose and making a blood-red bubble appear around her stomach in one motion.
He squinted, then looked up over the rims of his glasses at her. "May I?" He pointed to her stomach.
She nodded, and he gently prodded her stomach. After a few soft pokes, something poked her from the inside of her stomach.
She gasped, and Elwin smiled.
"What... was... did it just..."
He nodded.
"Woah."
"What happened?" Keefe asked.
"The... the baby. It kicked," Sophie said, a dazzling smile on her lips.
Keefe beamed. "Really?"
Sophie nodded, breathing out a sigh of relief that Keefe was still capable of smiling. It was a miracle that either of them could.
"Hey, uh, Elwin?" Tam asked from the doorway. "Can I talk to you for a second?"
"Sure. I'll be back in a second," he assured Sophie, and followed Tam to the door.
"What happened to Cassius?" As soon as the door was closed, Tam blurted out the question.
"Zillah and two psionipaths have been keeping him contained, and a flasher is helping hide him. But they need to know what to do with him. And why they are keeping him contained."
"Shit."
"Kind of."
"I think we might need a Councillor for this," Tam grimaced.
"I think so too. But we have to talk to Keefe first."
"You do that. I'll get Bronte from the silver tower or whatever."
"Silver tower is correct. Hurry."
"M'Kay." Tam opened the door and started running towards the silver tower while Elvin went back into the room to inform Sophie and Keefe of who would be arriving.