Chapter Fifteen – Revenge

She woke up slowly, reluctantly. Her head was pounding from the blow that the drow had given her to knock her out the night before. She felt like something large had come out of nowhere and had hit her hard. It took her a while to realize that she was chained to the wall of the room that she had last been in.

And she was surrounded by the drow that had captured her.

"How are you doing Lady Do'Urden?" Kelnozz leered down at her as he spoke, his normal sardonic smile crossing his face. Without warning, he reached down and grabbed the collar of her tunic, pulling her up so that he could look into her sapphire eyes with his own glowing red ones. The light that she saw shining in those orbs frightened her. "And may I ask after the health of your child?"

Her eyes widened. She had forgotten that he knew that she was pregnant. That frightened her further. She knew that he would be using this against her and she didn't want anything to happen to the baby she carried. Her eyes widened as a new light entered the drow's eyes. His command chilled her to the bone.

"I want you to beat that spawn of that ranger out of her belly."

With that he walked from the room, closing the door behind him as the others surrounded her.

The first blow connected solidly with her stomach, forcing a sharp cry from her lips and a fierce pain shot through her body. Blows rained down on her from all around, sharp and painful as she curled into herself, trying to protect her child from the kicks and hits that the drow mercenaries laid on her. Tears fell down her cheeks as she unsuccessfully tried to blink back the darkness that threatened to take her away.

That hopeless voice of her beloved echoed through her mind as the merciful darkness claimed her.

"Once you are tortured by a drow, you never forget it, Cat."



Catti-brie smiled as she walked around the newly painted baby room. Serenity had come all the way from her home to help her with it, and at such a short notice. The baby had been born a month early, throwing off the timing that they had been going on at getting the room ready for their newborn daughter.

Drizzt walked in, carrying the tiny newborn. A soft cry came from the blanket folds as he handed her over to his wife. Their three sons – eight-year-old Zaknafein, and four-year-olds Nalfein and Sylfan – followed behind their father, all still desperately trying to see their new baby sister.

"Mama!" Zak looked up at her with his cerulean blue eyes as she sat down in the rocking chair, readying to nurse the fussy infant. His hair – a color between white and red - fell into his round face as he stood besides her, his curiosity taking the better of him. "Why haven't we gotten to see baby Aimee yet?"

Catti-brie smiled, one arm holding her daughter while the other reached out and smoothed the hair back from her son's face. Two pairs of violet-blue eyes looked up at her, the same question within their little depths. Drizzt smiled slightly as he knelt behind them, hugging all three from behind.

"We just wanted to wait until after we had the room finished and when we would all be by ourselves as a family." He smiled as they all looked at him, still all confused about their parents' actions. "That, and we weren't sure whither or not Aimee would live for more than a few days, so we waited a little while."

The twins looked at each other before looking at their father. "Why do ya tink that baby Aimee would die?" Nalfein looked confused, not knowing what was going on. "She's okey-day since Mama's been walkin' 'round."

"Yah!" Sylfan looked at his twin before looking at his father. "She's been okey-day t' us!"

Drizzt laughed and Catti-brie chuckled softly. The twins were beginning to inherit their mother's stubborn streak. Zak had already inherited it. Catti-brie smiled down at her sons as she slowly lowered the blankets from the little face of the fussy newborn in her arms. Three sets of eyes looked on anxiously, all of them wanting to be able to see their new sister.

Her skin was nearly as dark as her father's – darker than her eldest brother's. Wide, curious eyes were brilliant lavender and short, messy hair was the purest snow white with a single streak of auburn that was longer than the rest and always fell into that little face. Zak reached over cautiously and lightly touched one of the little hands. Small fingers wrapped around the one and happy sound came from the little rosebud mouth as those curious eyes turned to him.

"Mama look! Baby Aimee's looking at me!" He looked at her with his cerulean eyes. "She has such tiny hands! They're smaller than anything that I've ever seen 'cept, maybe a stick when Daddy brings my out into the mountains."

After watching how the baby had reacted to their brother, the twins looked at each other and then reached out towards their sister. The tiny infant reached out her other little hand and her little eyes darted towards them. She gurgled happily as she looked at the new faces around her.

Over the heads of her sons, Catti-brie looked at her husband and smiled serenely. Smiling peacefully, Drizzt leaned over and kissed her lightly, earning a groan of disgust from the twins – Zak was used to it.

Never was there a day in her life that she regretted her marriage.



He stared up at the sky, searching to lose himself among the familiar constellations of stars. It had been a few days since he had arrived in Silverymoon, and he knew that the Luchiélt had arrived that afternoon, and were getting settled into their rooms. To his surprise, Gabriel had come with Serenity and their familiar and small entourage.

After hearing of the situation, Serenity had readily agreed to come and help, without the slightest hesitation. Gabriel had argued against it at first, until his wife told him about what had happened. There had been an angry light in his eyes as he agreed to allow her to come down there and help. Drizzt knew that even though most couldn't tell, he was incredibly protective of her.

He sighed as he watched the stars. No matter what he did, he could never get thoughts of what was happening to her out of his mind. Tears ran down his face at the thought of what was happening to her at that moment. After what had happened to him, did he expect them to be gentle with her? Especially since Kelnozz knew of the child that grew within her?

Without warning, the door to his room was thrown open and a tall figure stood at the open door. Two violet pinpricks of light glowed from where the eyes should have been.

He watched as it sped across the room. Pain registered as he found himself held against the wall, suspended several feet in the air and looking into the glowing violet eyes of a very angry Gabriel. His chest heaved with breath as he stared into the wide lavender eyes of a ranger he trusted.

"I know that you would never ask for this unless it was necessary." His voice was as cold as Drizzt had ever heard it. It had been long ere since he had seen this side of the Luchién lord, but he knew that it existed. "But if anything that happens that should scar her further, you know what consequences you shall face. She has been through this enough, and she does not need to be reminded of what has happened to her in the past."

Lavender eyes were hidden by the fall of white hair that had fallen from the braid that he kept it in. "And you remember what happened to her? Catti-brie faces that same fate, and you know as well as I that, strong though she is, she has never before been tortured or raped. She would not survive that prolonged suffering." Anger had seeped into his voice, making it rough (think Kenshin Himura) and he looked at Gabriel through the hair that had fallen into his face. "You know this as well, and you are right that I would never ask it of her, unless absolutely necessary. Therefore, forgive me when I say that we have less time too look for her than you had to look for Serenity. They are looking to harm me by torturing and killing her, and bringing my father back from the dead when he had already been resurrected once by my mother to try and kill me. They used him to capture her. They hold two people that I hold dear against me. What else do you want me to do, Gabriel?"

The Luchiélt lord looked down at where his hand was wrapped around the throat of the drow ranger. He saw the tears in his eyes and knew that perhaps he had gone too far. A small cry caused both males to turn their heads towards the door. Serenity stood there, holding their sleeping son in her arms and her green eyes wide in surprise.

"What is going on here?" She walked into the room, watching as Gabriel slowly lowered Drizzt to the ground and backed away. Drizzt cautiously touched his hand to his throat, rubbing the skin gingerly. He looked behind him, feeling blood running down his spine. Serenity walked over to kneel by him, noting the crimson stain that was spreading down the green clothe of his tunic. Gabriel's eyes widened as he remembered his wife telling him that Drizzt had been injured in the fight with the drow.

Muttering a quiet apology to the drow, Gabriel left the room, violet eyes filled with shame. He had never meant for it to go that far. Serenity watched her husband leave, eyes worried as Drizzt moved to stand on the balcony once more, ignoring the pain in his shoulder from having the wound reopened. He had known that Gabriel would be angry, but he hadn't expected him to be this angry.

He cursed silently in drow as he placed one hand on his shoulder. He knew that he needed to tend the wound soon otherwise it would be infected.

"Ranger Do'Urden?" The soft voice startled him and he looked to see Serenity walked towards him. "Why don't you let me tend that wound?"

Sighing, he nodded and removed his tunic. Serenity carefully removed the old bandages and carefully began to stitch the wound closed once again. She used the supplies that had been left in the room for when a healer would come and redress the wound at night. They talked as she finished her work and redressed the wounds. Though it was Serenity that did most of the talking. Drizzt remained in his own thoughts most of the time.

"Serenity?" His voice was soft with the question. "Would you mind asking Gabriel a question for me?"

"Of course, Ranger Do'Urden." She paused at the door.

"Would you ask him to train me how to use a different sort of blade?" A trick of the moonlight caused his lavender eyes to glow eerily in the light of the moon. "I want to be able to learn how to use a pair of stilettos."



[A/N]
Hey there! I knew that its been a log time, but I'm finally updating! I'm sorry I haven't gotten this done sooner, but I've been grounded for a while for a 'bad attitude.' N e ways, in response to a question, the italizied stuff is a vision like thing. While unconscious, Catti-brie sees flashes of a possible future for her and Drizzt. Thought that these would be cool, since they're also little plot bunnies that I wanna get rid of. Any way, please review!!!!!!!!!!!