Magical Miracle

Summary: When Sofia receives some rather unexpected news, she realizes she's going to have to make a few changes for not only herself, but also for her family.

Disclaimer: I own Angel, Serena, Alamea, Dominic, and Corban. Nana and Tanya belong to MarionetteJ2X. Anyone else belongs to Craig Gerber.

A/N: Hey, everyone! This story will touch on some events from the end of season 4, so I'll be referencing TCWR a bit. It's not going into massive detail, of course, but I did want to make a mention of it just so that you'll make that connection. Even with the dark things that occurred in that story, there is a bit of light here.

*Story*

It was March 29, three weeks after Cedric's and Sofia's third wedding anniversary. They'd spent their anniversary visiting the village and trying out some new cuisine from up-and-coming chefs and bakers. And while they'd enjoyed the food and each other's company, a simple innocent question had nearly broken not only the sweet moment, but Sofia.

"Are you two planning to have more children?"

The question had come from an innocent bystander, a well-meaning older woman, who was genuinely curious about their plans for any future family members. She couldn't have known…

"May I speak with you a moment?" the medic asked after everyone had cleared out of the room, leaving only Cedric, Sofia, and baby Serena behind. "I'm very happy for you both. You have a beautiful and healthy daughter."

Sofia frowned, confused by the solemn note in the man's voice. "Then why don't you sound very happy?"

He inhaled slowly before offering her an apologetic look. "I'm sorry, Princess Sofia… But after examining you upon the delivery of Princess Serena, I made quite an alarming discovery. Your cervix and some other areas were ruptured or heavily scarred from some form of trauma, though I can't quite explain it. From the angle of the damage, it almost appears that one would have had to have cut you open and literally destroyed those areas. It's a miracle your baby survived and wasn't suffocated, to be frank. Granted, it might have happened during one of your battles or… Or something…" There was no way he believed what he was saying, and he certainly didn't suspect foul play from anyone, especially Cedric. Whatever had happened must have been horrific, but he knew the princess wouldn't go into details. He had to respect her privacy, although he was extremely curious and even heartbroken for her. He removed his hat and bowed his head as a form of respect. "Based on what I've seen… Princess Serena will be your only biological child."

Somehow, Sofia had expected this to be what she'd hear, but it didn't make it any easier to accept. She inhaled shakily before nodding quietly, taking in the beautiful features of their baby girl. "I-If that's the case, then… I'm glad we have her."

"Sofia…" Cedric reached out to her, placing a hand on her shoulder. "I'm… I'm so sorry, my love…"

There had been many tears that night after they'd put Serena and the other girls to bed. They knew this was an after effect from the trauma that Greeneyes had inflicted upon her. She'd destroyed any hopes of her ever conceiving again. It had taken months for them to come to terms with this reality, but that didn't mean things got any easier for them.

And about a year ago, Sofia hadn't been feeling well, and it turned out that she'd actually been pregnant again. The joyful news had been short lived, however, as she miscarried only two months into her pregnancy. It had devastated her and Cedric, not to mention the rest of their family. Considering all the trauma she'd experienced with Greeneyes, Sofia figured that she was lucky to at least have little Serena, and perhaps another baby just wasn't in the cards for them. It had been a very difficult reality to face, but she'd done the best she could.

So, when the older woman had kindly inquired about the potential for more children recently, Sofia had broken down crying right then and there, much to Cedric's dismay and the patrons' surprise.

But today, March 29, she was crying for a very different reason. "I-I'm pregnant?" she asked in awe, staring at both the same medic from a few years ago and Cedric, who seemed just as surprised as she did. "H-How? I thought you said…"

"The human body is a mystery, Princess Sofia," the medic chuckled softly. "However, I caution you this: I'd rather you not risk this child's survival, so I highly encourage you to be very careful and take this pregnancy easy. By my calculations, you'll be due to give birth close to Wassailia."

"Oh, how interesting that will be," Cedric laughed, smiling as Sofia giggled, wiping her tears away. "Do you want to tell the girls?"

"Let's…maybe wait a little while," Sofia suggested as she took his hand. "I want to make sure this isn't some massive fluke or anything. I don't want to disappoint them if…"

"I understand." He nodded before glancing back at the medic. "I will take care of her. Don't worry." He sat down next to her as the medic left. "I'm inclined to believe that…perhaps your Light Magic had something to do with this. Healing, maybe? Given it's been a few years, I suppose it's possible."

"So, a magical miracle," she acquiesced, leaning against him with a soft smile on her lips. "I'd believe that…"

"I never believed in miracles," he murmured, wrapping his arm around her, "until I met you and our girls… Because it's only by a sheer miracle that I'm where I am today, with all of you." He pressed a kiss to her forehead as she sighed in content.

A few weeks later, when Cedric checked the status of the baby, he discovered that Sofia was indeed still pregnant. At that point, he and Sofia decided to tell the children the news, and they would make plans to tell the others later.

"What is going on, Papa?" Tanya asked with a yawn as she sat down on the bed, pulling Serena into her lap and resting her head on top of the toddler's, smiling down at her as she giggled. Nana sat next to them, staring at her parents curiously, her wide green eyes sparkling in curiosity. "It is rather early, is it not?"

"Yes!" Serena chanted, her accent sounding remarkably similar to how Calista's had when she was a toddler. "We're hungry!"

Sofia laughed, slowly propping up against the pillows as Nana crawled over to lean against her. "Just a minute, Serena. Let Papa talk to you."

Seeing that he had their attention again, Cedric cleared his throat. "Um, girls… Your mother and I discovered something interesting recently."

"A bug?" Serena asked, those blue eyes dancing in excitement. "A squirrel?"

Tanya raised an eyebrow at her little sister's suggestions. "Are you sure she is not the child of Uncle James?"

Sofia snickered. "Maybe she's just been hanging around him too much." She nodded toward the sorcerer. "Go ahead, Cedric."

He exhaled slowly before smiling. "Girls... You're all going to have a new brother or sister later this year. Your Mama is going to have a baby."

Nana gasped, smiling happily up at Sofia, who beamed down at her. She hugged her mother around the neck, still brimming with excitement as the princess rocked her back and forth.

"Baby?" Serena asked with a tilt of her head. She then moved forward and patted her mother's tummy before looking up at Sofia with wide eyes. "Whoa…"

Sofia smiled at her daughter. "I know, right? Whoa…" She glanced toward Tanya, who smiled at her. "How do you feel about this, Tanya?"

The older girl smiled in content. "I am happy, Mama. I was wondering if you and Papa would have another baby at some point, but I did not want to pry."

"Surprise," Cedric chuckled, earning a soft laugh from his eldest daughter. "Tomorrow, we will tell everyone else."

"I'm a big sister!" Serena cheered, pulling away from Tanya's lap to jump on the bed. "A big sister! Yay!"

"Oh, yeah," Sofia laughed. "This is going to be fun…"

"I do have a suggestion though." Cedric sat down next to her, wrapping an arm around her. "I know you enjoy being a Protector, Sofia, but after hearing what the medic said…"

"I know. I'm going to talk to Chrysta and tell her she needs to find a replacement for me as soon as possible."

Tanya and Nana exchanged quick glances before the older girl spoke up, "Nana and I could do it, Mama."

Cedric glanced quickly at her. "Tanya, no…"

"Papa, please… We have helped beat evil beings before. We can do it again. And with the two of us working side by side, we can do some amazing things."

Nana nodded enthusiastically, brimming with energy.

"I…" Sofia sighed before laughing lightly and shrugging. "I'll…talk to Chrysta and see what she thinks…"

"Sofia…" Cedric sighed as she gently squeezed his hand.

"I did it when I was their age, and they're far more powerful than I was at that age. Plus, they'll be together, and they have some great trainers there now, including the ones who were there when I was."

Seeing the imploring looks from the two older girls, he finally sighed. "Very well. But if it gets too dangerous, they'll find someone else. Agreed?"

Tanya smirked, absently playing with her Death Bringer. "Sure, Papa. Agreed."

Sofia winked at the girls before playfully nudging her husband. "Thanks, Cedric." She tilted her head up, waiting for a kiss.

"Eww," Serena remarked as her parents kissed. "Mama and Papa are so gross."

Cedric chuckled, standing up, and picking up his youngest daughter, spinning her around once, causing her to giggle happily. "Gross, you say, Serena? No…" He smiled toward Sofia. "I think we're sweet."

She returned the smile. "Very sweet… My sorcerer."

The end