The morning after Guloisa had been murdered, Gourry had found himself sleeping off the shock rather than engaging in his normal routine. Fortunately it seemed as though no one held it against him. When he'd woken in the late afternoon, he found he wasn't sure if he was grieving the loss of his mother or the loss of the mother he never would have. But before he could think about it too much, the Eternal Queen had paid him a visit to explain that she had broken the news of Guloisa's murder to Gregory via a vision spell, with some worrying developments. And since that had happened, a sense of anxiety and dread had displaced any sadness he had been feeling. And his thoughts became consumed with fears of going to war with his family and having to spill their blood.

As had been expected, Gregory refused to believe Gourry was innocent, regardless of how many ambassadors from many different kingdoms with many competing interests said otherwise. And he was threatening war if Zeferia did not send Gourry to his homeland to answer for his crimes.

"Are you sure you're up for it today?" Zelgadis asked, "I can take your class again."

Gourry tried to smile reassuringly as they walked out of the manor the next morning. "No. I need to get back into my schedule."

"Let me know if you change your mind." Zelgadis said as Gourry prepared to face his students. While it was a bit hard to get started, once he did it was a wonderful escape from the diplomatic nightmare he had found himself in. As the sun moved higher in the sky he found that the movement and the activity helped distract him from his thoughts. When he dismissed the class to lunch he felt better than he had when it had started. He was about the head back to the manor when he noticed Owen looking at him expectantly. Gourry asked, "Can I help you with something?"

"I want you to know, I believe that you're innocent." Owen said, "Still, I don't know how you didn't kill her then and there in the foyer after she told you that you deserved to lose the baby. I would have."

Gourry felt as though ice water had been poured over him. He did not in any way feel equipped for the impending conversation, and suddenly getting back into his normal routine seemed like a foolhardy idea.

"A good swordsman never strikes a physical blow in response to words." Gourry eventually said. "Even if those words cut."

"But some words are inexcusable!" Owen persisted. "If people don't respect you…"

"You can force people to fear you through violence, but you can't force people to respect you through it." Gourry snapped, "If someone isn't going to respect you, then all you can do is have as little to do with them as possible. And that's why I ran away from home, and that's what I saw my mother only when I had to."

Owen looked at him as Gourry ran his hand through his hair. "Look, to kill, to take a life, it's not something to take lightly or to puff your chest up over to look tough. And if that's the lesson that you've learned from me, then I've failed as a teacher."

"Look, no one would have blamed you if you had…"

"And where does it end?" Gourry asked as he felt a dull ache form under his eyes, but he didn't want to lose it in front of his student, "We're on the verge of war with the Elmekian Empire. Do you realize what that means? More deaths. Which means more grudges. And to say that an insult will be worth those lives? I don't think so. Someone has to say it's enough."

"You fight though. You've killed." Owen persisted.

"I fight. I'm good at fighting. And I don't kill unless I have to." Gourry smiled wryly, "That was what drew me to Lina. Wars waged between humans are often waged for petty reasons, and there's little that is noble about them. But fighting Mazoku is another thing entirety. They want to end our existence and will stop at nothing to do it, and there is nothing more noble than fighting to live. A Mazoku is not a human, and different rules apply. If there's one thing I want you to understand when you leave here, it is that you should be careful to avoid violence with other humans when you can. It's a last resort, not a first one."

"The world doesn't work that way, though. The world is hard. People will take advantage of you if they smell weakness." Owen countered.

"Since when is taking the high road a weakness?" Gourry asked with a shrug, and before Owen could open his mouth again he worked to end the conversation that was taking so much out of him, "Look, when it is necessary to take lives is something good people can disagree on. Duke Zelgadis and I have had our differences here, and Zel was probably right. You can ask him about it. Still, he would agree that it's not worth starting a war over words. Anyway, you'd better get on to lunch. And my wife is waiting for me to bring hers up."

"Well, I wouldn't want to starve a pregnant lady." Owen said as he clapped Gourry on the back as they started walking to the manor, "How is she doing?"

"She's starting to go stir crazy being bedbound all day and night, but other than that she's doing well."

When Gourry brought the lunch tray up to Lina's room he was not too surprised to see that books and papers were strewn all over the bed. He just hoped it didn't have anything to do with the Elmekian Empire. "Been busy?" he asked.

"Going out of my skin just sitting here all day," Lina said as she barely looked up from what she was writing, "But I've been productive."

"Oh?" he asked as he sat the tray on the table by the bed and took his plate. He didn't feel like eating for once, but he also didn't want to worry her by letting on. So he forced himself to take a bite.

She handed him some parchment with a list of names and initials on them, "I've been researching names."

"I thought it was too early to worry about that." He said bemusedly, even as he appreciated a beacon of hope to attach his thoughts to.

"I'm further along now!" Lina said as she grabbed her sandwich and took a bite, "And look, Amelia already has a name picked out and her pregnancy is going along just fine. Besides, a child has to live with their name their whole life. It requires a great deal of thought."

"I can't argue with that." Gourry said as he finished his sandwich. "Though I still don't see what you have against Dimmy."

Lina snorted, "I'm wondering if It would be a good idea to name the child something that evokes the Lord of Nightmares, the one who shines like gold upon the Sea of Chaos. Something like Midas or Aurelia. Something that will herald just how important and powerful he is so no one will mess with him."

"What do those names have to do with gold?" Gourry asked.

"Oh, but it would take longer than the rest of my bed rest to explain that!" Lina exclaimed, "And you'd just forget. I just worry it would make him stand out too much, and perhaps rather than protecting him it would make him a target. I mean, growing up gifted does make it hard to fit in, so perhaps something simple will be better to help him blend in more, like John or Mary? Or something in between?"

"What would be in between?" Gourry asked.

"You know, a name that's familiar but not too common."

"Like Dimmy?"

"No! Not Dimmy! I have never heard of that ridiculous name before you brought it up!" Lina yelled.

"I don't know, it just seems that if a name is familiar but not too common that would mean it's a name no one likes."

"Some names are just more popular in some areas than others! Give them a far shot." Lina countered.

"Well, what would be an example?"

"Something like Chuck, or Blanche!"

"Chuck?" Gourry repeated. "You prefer Chuck over Dimmy?"

"I guess we'll scratch that one off the list." Lina said as she crossed it out.

"Maybe we should see what it looks like when it's born." He said as he grabbed an apple, "I mean Aurelia would be good for a blonde but not so much for a brunette."

"That's actually a good point." Lina said excitedly. "Maybe I should categorize this by hair and eye color and facial features? Aurelia or Blanche for a blonde, Abigail for a redhead, Mary or Sophia for a brunette. Maybe even personality traits. We don't have to name him right away, we can wait a few days and see what he is like."

Gourry looked at her and cocked an eyebrow before he took another bite of his apple, "You really are bored, aren't you?"

She sighed as she put a hand on her stomach, "Don't get me started."

He reached out and grabbed her hand, "It's been a hard few days."

She looked at him, "For you too. Do you want to talk about it?"

Given that he didn't want to worry her with it and the fact that he was doing everything he could to not think about it, he said, "I actually do like hearing your thoughts about what to name him. Much more pleasant to think about."

He squeezed her hand and leaned forward to kiss her. He then touched his finger to the tip of her nose, "No fair taking my dessert while I'm kissing you."

"Not my fault you were distracted." Lina said as she took a bite of the chocolate pudding, and then she turned more somber, "Or perhaps we should honor fallen comrades?"

"Like Luke and Milina, or Jade and Maius?" he asked.

"Now that I think of it, I guess we would have to have a lot of kids to honor all of them. I'm not sure if I could bear it if I named my son Luke and then had a dream where Jade asked me why he wasn't honored."

"What are these initials?" Gourry asked he looked at the paper.

"Oh," Lina said, "You don't know how many horrible initials I would notice in hotel registries. There should be a law, if your last name begins with 'S' then you should not bestow your child with a name that begins with 'B.'"

"Huh?" Gourry asked.

"B.S.!" Lina exclaimed, "Can't you imagine the teasing someone with those initials would get? Or P.E.?"

"How many bad combinations are you going to get with 'I?'" He asked.

"Not sure, but you can't be too careful! I don't want him to curse our names every time he signs a hotel registry!"

Someone knocked, "Come in." Lina said.

They were surprised to see Luna, who carried a basket of baked goods in her arms as she said as she walked up to hug her sister, "Oh Lina. How are you feeling?"

Lina looked confused, "Fine, really. Just one more day and I'm off bed rest."

"If you need more time…"

"I'm kind of itching to get active again, you know?" Lina said.

"We don't want you to overdo it…"

"This doesn't make me weak." Lina snapped. "Sylphiel said I could take down a Mazoku still once she clears me."

"Don't let your pride get in the way of doing what is best for your baby."

"What did you say?" Lina asked.

"Are those cookies fresh?" Gourry cut in.

"Yes, have some." Luna said as she pulled them out and started distributing them, even as Lina continued to glare at her.

"How are the boys doing?" Gourry asked.

"Fine, they're downstairs with my folks." Luna said, "I am sorry to hear about your mother."

That was a topic Gourry did not want to discuss, "Thanks."

"How are things looking in Elmekia?" Luna asked.

Gourry was grateful that Lina took over, and wished that he could slip out in case he lost his composure, "The Eternal Queen spoke with Gregory using a vision spell. He's convinced Gourry killed her, and he's threatening war if we don't send Gourry to Elmekia to stand trial. Same old spiel."

Gourry felt his heart tighten as Lina continued, "The Eternal Queen is holding firm. She figures that due to Mazoku influence war with the Elmekian Empire and the Kingdom of Dils is likely inevitable. It just is unfortunate that this is the catalyst."

"But there's been no declaration of war?" Luna asked.

"No. Gregory gave a time frame. Four weeks." Lina said as she ate the cookie, and then she noticed Luna's expression. "What is it?"

"There are rumors of attacks on the edge of the border of the Elmekian Empire and the Desert of Destruction." Luna said.

"Attacks?" Lina repeated.

"Whole villages have been destroyed. No survivors. And the carnage was worse than seen during the demon uprisings." Luna explained. "Gregory may be facing a war on two fronts."

"I'm not sure if that's good news or not." Lina said, "Though if whatever is going on in the Desert of Destruction keeps him so occupied that he forgets Gourry…"

"I wouldn't be on it," Gourry said, "Besides, if the Mazoku are as deep in the Elmekian Empire as we suspect, then they could probably help Gregory with whatever is going on there."

Lina sighed, "I hate it when you make a good point."

"Something will work out." Luna said, "I brought a Knight to escort Ambassador Gelo to Dils and out of our borders. War will likely follow."

"Speaking of fighting a war on two fronts." Lina said, "Hey, whatever is attacking the Elmekian border hasn't hit us, has it?"

"Strangely, no." Luna said, "It's stays to the south."

"Well, then we won't have to worry about that headache." Lina mused. "I do have a question for you, though. Honor's cat, Nimitz. Any idea how that cat got to be so smart?"

Relief washed through Gourry as they stopped talking about the Elmekian Empire as Luna took a cookie and ate it with a sigh, "Some mysteries in this universe will forever confound us." Then she glanced at the paper with the names on it, "Midas and Aurelia? That would be fitting. Blanche, though? Really, Lina, there's a reason no one names their kid Blanche!"

"Who asked you!?" Lina screamed.

When Gourry left Lina to go downstairs to get dinner and found himself in an empty hallway, he felt the control he had been able to exert earlier in the day start to wane. Before he could think about ducking someplace where he could compose himself, though, Han came out into the hallway and glanced at him. "It's been awhile since we've been fishing. We're going tonight after dinner."

Gourry managed to nod as he wondered if his distress was that obvious before he took a calming breath. And so, after a quick dinner with Lina, he found himself at a lake, close to Maninstit but far enough away to give them some privacy, with his father-in-law.

"How are you doing?" Han asked Gourry as he threw his fishing line into the water.

"I'm okay." Gourry said mechanically as he selected some bait.

"Are you?"

Gourry sighed. "It's been hard. But I'm pushing forward. Resisting the urge to run and offer my head to Gregory."

Han looked at him severely, "You've got a kid on the way! No way you can do that, especially when you're innocent."

"I know that. Still, my guilt or innocence isn't going to matter much when lives are on the line."

"It matters if we sacrifice innocent people to avoid a war." Han said, "You and Lina have been fighting Mazoku on your own for so long now, and unfortunately larger stakes are tied to it now. They're tapping in on human's desire for self-destruction. After all you've done now that the stakes are higher do you really want to give up?"

"It's not that I want to give up." Gourry said as he threw his line in, "It's that I ran away from my family for a reason. To stop the cycle of violence, of blood spilling blood. While I don't like it, I can live with people believing I would kill my own mother. I know she was a horrible person, but she still gave me life and it hurts that so many people will believe that of me. What bothers me more is that I don't want my children around these familial battles or to have to confront those choices. And here I am. Facing war with my family, and it's about to touch a new generation. If turning myself into Gregory can stop that, then maybe it would be worth it."

Han put a hand on his shoulder, "Once you're dead you lose your ability to influence anything. If you really believe you would have more power to avert a war dead than alive then you really are as stupid as Lina claims you are."

"How do I stop this, then?" Gourry asked, "If Gregory is set on war…"

"Then you turning yourself in won't deter him." Han snapped as his line went taunt. He pulled it in and scowled, "Who throws boots into a lake anyway?"

As he took the footwear off Gourry still couldn't help but think that the situation was helpless. He silently berated himself for being stupid enough to think he could get away from his family, that they somehow wouldn't find a way back into his life. That he could actually raise a child in a happy family that wasn't spilling each other's blood, "So I guess I'm just going to have to raise my child with this. And I'm just going to have to accept it."

Gourry felt his heart grow heavy as his eyes welled up. Han sighed, "Things change, in ways we can't predict. When we got pregnant with Luna business was booming and we thought we'd be able to buy a larger store soon. But then some serious competitors sprang up, and we found ourselves struggling to put food on the table. Things had recovered by the time we had Lina, but then paying for her education about broke us. And back when our fortunes were reversed when Luna was an infant, I'd wondered why we'd had her if we were going to watch her starve and be able to provide so poorly for her. But things turned out better than I feared they would, and there was also so much joy. And no matter what happens, nothing can take the happy memories away."

They were silent for a moment before Han continued, "And the important thing is that you're there to teach your child right from wrong and how to cope with life's miseries as well as its joys."

Gourry managed to smile a little, "I guess Lina would never forgive me if I wasn't."

"She's not the only one!" Han said, "It may be hard to see now, but it will be alright. So no more talk about turning yourself in. You're not impressing anyone."

"I'll remember that." Gourry said.

"I'll etch it into your dense brain if I have to!"

Gourry still felt miserable, but not as despairing as he had been by the time that he had come home with Han. While it was getting late, the kids were still up and running amok. He spied Jean-Luc and Indy walking swiftly through the hallway, holding a large bag while wearing mischievous grins as they did so. "Hey," Gourry said as he stopped them, "What's this?"

"We've been digging on the grounds," Indy said as he opened the bag and revealed some old, corroded swords, "We found these! How old do you think they are?"

"I don't know much about Zeferian swords and their history." Gourry admitted as an idea dawned on him.

Han, meanwhile, said, "Old, those swords are old."

"Yeah, but one hundred years old? Two hundred? A thousand?" Indy asked.

"Who cares?" Han said, "They're rusted and of no use to anyone."

"We do! This is our history." Jean-Luc said, "So we're off to the library to see if we can date them more precisely."

"One moment, Jean-Luc." Gourry said.

"What? We won't be up too late."

"Do you still have that contact in the Elmekian Empire?" Gourry asked.

"Yes."

"Can you talk to him and ask about the situation on the border of the Elmekian Empire and the Desert of Destruction?"

"Sure." Jean-Luc said, "Is there anything else I can do for you?"

"No, but thanks."

AN: Because name stuff gets so sensitive, my husband and I did the familiar but not too common zone with our kids and I had an uncle named Chuck and Blanche is a name that intrigues me. I do strongly urge all expectant parents to see what their kids' initials will spell, though. Rosters in places I've worked at contained initials and there would be some doozies. Especially if people included their middle initial.