The Cradle Will Rock

Summary: Sofia is abducted in the dead of night by none other than Greeneyes, an evil enchantress who has plans for the princess's unborn child.

Disclaimer: I own the villain Greeneyes, Angel, Corban, and Alamea (whether or not they end up being mentioned in here). Nana and Tanya belong to MarionetteJ2X.

A/N: Okay! So, I can finally eliminate the warning tag, but I will say that after everything that's occurred, Sofia (and Cedric, to a degree) will experience some lingering effects from the events that have taken place throughout this story. Which, of course, is to be expected, after what they've gone through. But here, we can finally start the healing process, though I will say that it's not without some trauma that will be touched on both here and later. However, we are done with evil entities…for now.

Chapter 8: A New Norm

Two weeks after the horrible Greeneyes incident, things were starting to return to…well, "normal" wasn't exactly a term anyone could call anything after everything that Cedric and Sofia had witnessed and experienced themselves. Rather, in some capacity, they'd acquired a 'new norm.' Things couldn't return to the way they had been by any stretch of the imagination, but the couple tried their very hardest to take control of their trauma after the ordeal. They'd actually agreed not to tell anyone else what had happened, as they didn't want to worry the others. Even Tanya and Nana hadn't picked up on anything, which was a relief. For now, and perhaps forever, they chose to keep it a secret between themselves and Merlin, who'd also promised to keep things hushed.

Currently, Cedric and Sofia were on the bed in their room, dressed for bed, and Cedric was slowly weaving Sofia's hair into a braid. This was only the third time since the 'incident' that she'd felt comfortable having anyone, even Cedric, touch her after they'd returned.

In fact, for many days and nights now, she'd suffered from fear and anxiety, debilitating nightmares or night terrors, and sporadic breakdowns in the middle of even the most mundane tasks. Despite the fact that they were safe, the baby was restored and growing, and they were home, that scenario still followed her in her memories, haunting her, taunting her ruthlessly.

It had gotten so bad that Cedric had ended up staying with Nana and Tanya for several nights (explaining away the circumstances under the blanket excuse of 'She just needed a little space to accommodate for the baby'), while Sofia slept on her own, with multiple locks on all doors and windows, and the most powerful spells cast to ensure that no one could get to her. It wasn't something she'd wanted to do, of course, but it settled her nerves a bit when she knew that she was safe and secure, and that no one was coming for her or for the baby. Even Wormwood had picked up on some things, though he was never explicitly told what had occurred, and he'd moved his family back into the tower for the time being to give the couple their space. This didn't go unnoticed, and Cedric had thanked him for being so patient and considerate, even if he didn't fully understand.

Slowly but surely, Sofia had lessened her restraints both physically and mentally, and she finally, two nights ago, welcomed Cedric back into their bedroom. He'd been so patient and so kind, and she'd finally broken down in his arms as he'd pulled her into a warm hug before insisting that they get some rest.

"How are you feeling, my love?" the sorcerer asked quietly as he finished braiding the princess's hair and tied it off with a ribbon, his hands gingerly spanning down his work, brushing against her back accidentally. When he felt her react with a small gasp and jump, he swallowed nervously. "Er, s-sorry, Sofia…"

"No…" She turned around, smiling comfortingly toward him. "It's okay… I-I'm okay… I know when you touch me, it's done with love and gentleness…" To prove her point, she reclined against a pile of pillows and slid her pajama shirt back, letting it flow onto the bed, before taking his hand and allowing it to rest on the bare skin of her abdomen for the first time in weeks. Seeing his surprised yet relieved expression, she reached up and placed a hand on his cheek. "I love you, Cedric, and I'm so sorry that I shut you out and distanced myself… It wasn't fair to you…"

"I didn't experience what you did," he countered honestly, "so I can't fully understand what you went through. But I can respect that you needed some time… And if you still need more time, you need only tell me."

"I don't want to be apart from you again. I may not be fully back to normal, but I don't want to be without you." She smiled as she felt a soft kick from the baby, and she giggled as Cedric clearly felt it as well, since his hand still rested where she'd placed it earlier. "She's kicking more often," she explained fondly. "She especially likes it when someone sings or reads stories, and before all this happened, she really liked it when Wormwood would read stories to her." She sighed as he chuckled at this information, something he could use to tease the raven about later on. "Did he ask about…?"

"He was curious, but he respected my response when I told him that it was personal. I think he knows that something happened, but surprisingly, he's not pushing it." He felt a mild rush of resentment toward the evil woman who'd caused their suffering flood through him, but it dissipated upon seeing his princess's soft smile. Greeneyes was gone for good, and she could never hurt them again. And while he wasn't entirely sure about the deity that had been in those green flames, he hadn't sensed anything dangerous lurking about within their kingdom. Even that wretched ORS was fully gone from Sofia; he'd definitely checked with a spell once they'd made it home.

"Sometimes I do still feel that emptiness of having our baby stolen," Sofia whispered as Cedric moved to lie next to her, his hand still slowly warming her skin. "It's hard, Cedric… Once you've experienced something like that, it's hard to shake that feeling or even know how to handle it. It's why… It's why I pushed you and the others away the last few weeks, even if they didn't realize it. I didn't know how to deal with this, but I didn't want anyone else to be burdened by it either."

"You're not a burden, Sofia," he reminded her, kissing her temple as she sighed again. "You're my wife: the love of my life, my best friend, my confidant, my everything… Give yourself some time, and don't try to overwhelm yourself with getting back to 'normal.' Take this time to process the grief before working through it. And if it helps: you are pregnant with our daughter; her heartbeat is fine; she's very healthy and very powerful, as we've witnessed." He heard her giggle faintly and smiled. "Turns out little Sunni was no joke, eh? Serena… Our Serena will be much the same: like mother, like daughter."

"I don't know, Cedric…" She smiled up at him, her eyelids growing heavy from tiredness. "Something tells me that she'll be Papa's little girl…"

They talked a bit more before both of them could feel the tug of sleep pulling on them, which was growing too powerful to ignore. Before Sofia could ask, Cedric had gently pulled her into his arms in a protective manner, minding the baby, as he curled behind her and pulled the covers over them. He lulled her to sleep with his soft humming, his hand still gently caressing her tummy as he did. Soon, he drifted off to sleep as well, his head tucked behind hers, and their bodies relaxed against one another.

And for the first time in weeks, if not months, Sofia didn't dream of anything that night, and she was perfectly content with that.

The end