Oh hi. It's been a minute, hasn't it? Congrats readers on , because I beta-read this myself I already have my laptop open! Meaning this chapter, you guys get it FIRST! I also will let you all in on a secret that next chapter will be the last that I'm writing this year because god I need a break. Shh! Don't tell anyone! Anyways enjoy :)

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"Raine… how much further? I'm tired and hungry," Eda whined. Raine held tightly onto their girlfriend's hand. Turning around they got a glimpse of her. She wore her new red dress and her hair was pulled up into a ponytail. It fit her well, and fit perfectly around her baby bump. Raine also wore a new outfit. A black button-up top and red slacks.

"You've been here hundreds of times, it's not much further," Raine chuckled, "The offer of being carried still stands you know."

"Ugh, it's fine. I can do this!" Eda assured herself. The couple was currently walking through the woods. After a ride on Owlbert for about thirty minutes they'd made it to the edge of the forest that led to their special spot.

Slowly it came into view. The snapdragons littering the hill appeared and Raine could begin to see the spot they had so often spent time with Eda on.

"See?" Raine said. The two stopped at the foot of the hill, "You sure you want to climb this?"

"It's tradition, Raine, I'll be fine," Eda said. She was the first to begin climbing, but while Raine followed behind she gradually began panting, before stopping halfway.

"You were saying?" Raine couldn't stifle the giggle that escaped their lips.

"Yeah yeah, I get it," Eda sighed, "There's a baby in my stomach, what do you expect?!"

"This, you being tired," Raine approached Eda from behind and began helping her get up the hill. Eda grumbled, but didn't reject the help.

"Now would you be so gracious as to let your heavily pregnant girlfriend at least attempt to make this day easy for you," Eda said.

"After last week I don't believe I can just let you try and do everything, but it's okay. I don't mind", Raine said to her. Again, Eda only grumbled at this statement.

Raine was perfectly valid in their anxieties, though. She'd woken them up last week complaining about weird pain and the two panicked thinking she was going into labor early. Several calls, Eda nearly having a panic attack, and an examination later, they found out that Eda was merely having a thing called Batson's Hicks… false contractions.

They didn't stop though, and it had kept Raine (and Eda) on edge. They hated having to see Eda go through so much pain. Who knew how they'd handle her actually… having the kid.

But that was still a few weeks away, it was best to just enjoy today. After all, it was very important for Raine.

Once they reached the top, Raine summoned a picnic basket and sat it on top of the hill. Eda laid on top of the grass. She caught her breath during those few moments.

Raine sat down beside Eda and she quickly sat up. She opened the picnic basket and pulled out a container, opening and handing it to Raine.

"Happy birthday, Rainestorm," Eda said to them. Raine smiled, looking down and seeing a cupcake, it was decorated with golden frosting. They took it out and bit into it. Out of the corner of their eyes, they saw Eda wipe her nose with a napkin.

"It's insane how cold it is!" She snorted, "And to think it's all caused because of some stupid magical reaction at the bottom of the ocean…"

"Wouldn't it be funny if when the baby is born it did something crazy like snow?" Raine said, "It's not even unrealistic now, the rain hasn't been boiling for the past few weeks."

"If it gets that cold outside the Titan outta get up and be walking by now!" Eda exclaimed, "But snow would be so pretty down here, especially on the house."

"If it somehow does snow, let's try to get some photos. The house could use some more for the walls," Raine said, licking at the frosting on their cupcake.

"Maybe you can get another photo of me," Eda smirked. Raine blushed at the comment. She had been relentlessly teasing them ever since catching them sneaking a photo of her by the bedroom window last week.

"You looked so pretty, I… I couldn't resist…" They rubbed the back of their neck.

"Well today you can admire me all you want, it's your birthday after all," Eda leaned forward and kissed them.

"At least we can finally get out and do something," Raine leaned up to Eda, taking another bite of their cupcake, "The harvest festival will be lovely. The food, the music, and we can pick up a few things before we really buckle down for the next few weeks." Eda stiffened at that. If anyone aside from Raine was any more scared about the arrival of the baby, it was definitely Eda.

"I'm just glad we can go out without people knowing about… you know," She placed her right hand on her stomach.

"Don't forget, we have to be at my Moms' before one," Raine said, "Ma has her shift at 1:30."

"I'm still super surprised Delilah is completely okay with doing something illegal, barely a month since they've actually tried to like me and I'm already rubbing off on one of them," Eda laughed.

The plan for today had been set in motion by none other than Raine's moms. A few days ago they left Raine a gift bag with both the outfits and a concealment stone. They'd left a note inside it as well.

They'd already been surprised by the generosity of the brand-new outfits, though the inclusion of a concealment stone perplexed the bard. That's when Raine noticed the card. They picked it up and read it.

'Dear Raine (and Eda),

Happy early birthday! We hope you like the presents. It's been hard for both of you and we're well aware. Your Ma found a spell that can alter appearances displayed by concealment stones and figured that she could try cloaking Eda. You two deserve a chance to get out and do something nice before the baby gets here, so come enjoy the festival on your birthday. Your Ma has a shift at 1:30, so if you two would like to try this come by the house no later than 1:00 and she can get it all arranged.

If you don't want to come to the festival, enjoy a date night with the outfits we included! We noticed Eda doesn't own any maternity clothes and while it's not impractical it surely isn't comfortable for her, we hope she enjoys the dress

Love,

Your Mom and Ma'

Later that night they'd asked Eda if she wanted to give it a shot and she agreed. Now here they were, on their hill on a cold Friday morning.

"Well I'm still hungry and so is my freeloader, so let's eat some brunch!" Eda announced, grabbing the picnic basket and opening it up. She pulled out their meal. French toast and various fruits. A healthy meal would give them both energy to go on with today.

Raine stared over at Eda as they watched her start eating. They were worried about her and how today would go. She was technically a criminal, and while her bounty wasn't terribly high, it still made her a target. They figured it'd be best to stick close to her, but what if she was annoyed by that? What if she wanted to do something on her own?

Raine sat in their anxieties for a little while as Eda ate. Once she was done she laid back down and let out a sigh.

"Are you going to eat, darling?" Eda asked.

"I… I will in a minute, sorry," Raine said, "Just thinking about things."

"You and me both," She said.

They looked down at her, forcing a smile.

"How's the baby treating you today?" Raine asked. Eda shrugged.

"Kicking, definitely more than I'd like but eh," Eda said, "Would you mind playing a bit? Just to see if that helps for today?"

"Well alright," Raine summoned their viola. After quickly checking if it was tuned they played a quick soft set of notes.

After they were played, Raine looked back to Eda and saw she was dozing off. It was nice to see her relax like this considering how she was now. It was definitely possible for today to go smoothly.

But Raine still wasn't entirely sure about that, and they definitely weren't sure how Eda felt about it either.

"And you're certain this is safe?" Raine asked again.

"I assure you, it's perfectly safe. Plus I'm sure Delilah wouldn't want to risk something like me if it wasn't safe," Eda chuckled. Raine looked over to their Ma who was standing just beside Eda holding the concealment stone. They'd gotten to their parents' house just a few minutes ago. Luckily their Ma was already ready and could immediately get them set up.

"All I'm doing is modifying the stone itself. That won't affect her. Honestly, it being illegal makes little sense," She said.

"It's because Belos doesn't want people sneaking around as someone they aren't," Eda explained.

"Oh," Their Ma said, "I guess that does make a bit of sense. Would you like to watch me do this, Raine?"

"Uh… alright," Raine said, walking over to the blue-haired witch and staring down at the pendant. It was red, just like Eda's dress.

"Watch," Raine's Ma said. She circled the stone and opened her hand, carefully moving a few fingers, and within a few moments, she relaxed. Was it already done? Was it that simple?

"Eda, would you like to try it on?" Their Ma handed the stone to Eda, who took it. She nodded and placed it around her neck.

Within moments a poof of smoke appeared and Eda looked mostly the same.

Except now the bump Raine's brain has grown so used to was gone, and she looked far less tired.

"That's weird," Raine said, slightly disturbed by the sight. It was as if the baby… literally disappeared.

Eda though, was not as disturbed. She seemed shocked but elated, Raine could guess at the fact she could strut in public without being a sore thumb sticking out.

"The weight is still there, but otherwise wow that worked well," Eda said, "Thank you, Delilah."

"You're welcome, Eda," Their Ma said, "Now you two, I think you deserve a photo together, but take off the stone first, Eda."

"Can't we have one with it on? It'd be a fun keepsake," Eda suggested. Their Ma shrugged and Eda walked over to stand beside Raine. Raine placed their hand on her shoulder and kissed her cheek. While they did that Raine's Ma got her scroll out and snapped a photo.

Eda then took off the stone and placed it on the table after poofing. Back to normal, she huddled up next to Raine. The next photo snapped and Eda picked the stone back up.

"Best we be on our way? We wouldn't want to hold your Ma up," The redhead grabbed Raine's hand.

"Sure," Raine said, "We'll come stop by the stall while we're there!" The two headed for the door while Raine shouted back to their Ma, "Love you! We'll see you later!"

"Love you too, deary!" Their Ma shouted back as the front door closed. Eda stood for a moment and put the pendant back on.

"I'm glad your Mom wasn't here if I'm being honest," Eda said.

"Did something my Ma say upset you?" Raine asked her, concerned by the comment. Eda shook her head.

"Just gives me whiplash being here, especially remembering my first visit here. Your Mom yelled at me then. I think it's just hormones though. Right now that is," She explained to them.

"Oh. I'm sorry about that," Raine said, "They aren't causing too much trouble, are they?"

"The spell worked like a charm, the baby has been calm since you played for them," Eda said, sounding relieved.

"Well, in that case, are you ready to brave the town we live in for the first time in months?" Raine asked her.

"Hell yeah I am," Eda said, a playful expression on her face.

"Then let's do this!" Raine said, pulling Eda with them by the hand.

Eventually they made it to the festival. It was bustling, which made sense considering it was now afternoon. Even with the extremely cold weather, the Harvest Festival was always busy. Music filled the air as Eda and Raine walked around the main market area.

"You think there's any chance we could listen to the bards for a while? It'd be easier to… sit," Eda had been holding up better than Raine had expected, but she was still quite obviously tired.

"Sure, we can get some lunch and see what's going on at the stage before we do anything else," Raine said, "Would you like anything in particular?"

"Mmm…" Eda looked around for a moment, her golden eyes bouncing from stall to stall. They stopped when she looked over at a game stall, "Hear me out on this one."

"Do you want a stuffed animal?" Raine asked, amused.

"Please?" She pleaded, clasping her hands together, "It would mean the world to me!"

"Alright alright, we can do that and then get lunch," The bard took her hand and the couple began to make their way over to the stall.

They read the top of the booth, 'Dunk a Noob'. The stall had a front counter, and many stuffed prizes hung on the sides. Looking down into it they realized it was a throwing game and that the employees appeared to be young. New. Noobs.

Raine always laughed at those plays on words.

"Step right up! Dunk one of our brand new employees and win a prize!" A goat man stood behind the counter, clearly the owner of the stall. Raine stepped up and waved, diving into their pockets to grab a few snails.

"Three balls please," Raine said, handing the snails to the man. He took them and nodded, going under the counter to grab the balls for them.

"Three tries you shall have!" The man said as he handed Raine the balls. They quickly cracked their shoulders and went to a stance, eyes piercing the target before them.

"WOO! GO RAINE!" Eda cheered from a few feet behind. Raine glanced back and smiled at her. They winded up their arm, and after a few short seconds of calculating their throw, they chucked the ball at the target.

The force of their throw slammed right into the middle. The target flew back and the employee dropped into the water.

Raine pumped up a fist as Eda ran up to them and held onto them.

"Good job!" Eda said to them, "That was a bullseye!"

"Congratulations! Pick any of our prizes," The man said to Raine. The mint-haired witch looked to their redheaded girlfriend and gestured to the prizes. She raced up and quickly picked out a giant stuffed possum. Raine snickered at the sight of it. They'd seen the creature in some of Eda's books on human myths.

"Peculiar choice, of course," Raine chuckled.

"You know me," Eda said, "How about we get some lunch now?"

After grabbing griffin meat kebabs from a stall, Raine and Eda headed towards where a stage was set up. They found seats and sat down to eat. Currently, there was a bard ensemble performing. The music was soft and melodic, while the atmosphere around was cloaked in gold.

It seemed to be purely for show, which Raine was grateful for. It meant they could sit with Eda and relax for a while. Then they could get up, walk around for a bit, go say hi to their Moms, and go home to enjoy the rest of the evening alone.

"Do you know what song this is?" Eda whispered to them before taking a bite out of her kebab.

"No, this might be newer," They said back. Raine began to eat their own kebab. After a few minutes of silence between them, they felt Eda grab their hand and squeeze it.

"S-Sorry," She said. Raine turned to her, worried something was wrong. She looked to be in pain.

"Batson?" Raine asked. Eda nodded, letting out the breath she'd been holding.

"I'm fine," She said back. That word felt… forced to them. That feeling from earlier came back and it took part of them not to say something in reply. Instead, they leaned back and stared up at the sky. The clouds were big, white, and fluffy.

They were jerked back down when they heard Eda whine. They immediately noticed her fallen kebab on the ground.

"Oh Titan," Raine said. Eda looked up at them, teary-eyed.

"Raine…" She looked like she was on the verge of sobbing.

"I'll go get you another one, dear," Raine quickly gave Eda a kiss and wiped away her tears with their thumbs. They stood up and left the concert area. It was just for a few minutes. She'd be okay.

They stood in line back at the grill stall and waited in silence. The stage wasn't even a hundred meters away. She was still in their train of sight. They kept their eyes on her, only looking back now and again to see when they'd advanced in line.

This went on for a few minutes before a hand grabbed them on the shoulder. They whirled around, seeing a very familiar face.

"Lilith?!" Raine exclaimed. There she stood, Lilith Clawthorne. She wore an Emperor's Coven scout uniform and her mask had just been pulled off with her hood, revealing her deep blue hair to be in a ponytail. The dying of her hair several years ago still left Raine shocked, despite rarely, if ever, talking to her now.

"Hello, Raine," She said. Raine was stunned to see her. It made sense, they assumed she was on duty since it was such a big event today. It wasn't uncommon for the Emperor's Coven to help with security at public events, the ones not hosted by them that is.

"Wow, it's been years hasn't it!" Raine said. They quickly glanced behind to see where Eda was. She continued to sit, staring up at the stage.

"I've been seeing you around today," The witch said, "With Edalyn I mean. How is she? I can't remember the last time we talked."

"She's uh… doing okay I guess. Best she can be at the very least," Raine responded.

"The best she can? Is everything alright?" Raine internally swore at themself for phrasing it like that. If Raine could make out anything going on in Eda's head right now, it was that she wanted to leave the baby out of anything related to her family.

"Oh! Yeah, no everything is fine, just life," Raine said.

"And her curse?" Lillith said.

"You know it's actually been super calm recently," They said. Raine had been confused by that. It was surprising how the curse had… vanished?

That was weird now that they thought about it.

"Oh that's amazing to hear," She said, "Edalyn does know the offer for the Emperor's-"

"She's not joining the Emperor's Coven," Raine said.

"It was worth mentioning…" Lilith sighed, "I noticed you still haven't joined a coven, why is that?"

"It doesn't make sense for me to be in one. I haven't quite decided if I want to work for the covens or just be… wild with Eda," Raine said, avoiding Lilith's worried emerald gaze.

"I see…" Lilith said, "Are you sure everything is alright? She seemed tired from what I saw of her earlier. Though it was only from afar."

"Yeah, she's been tired lately but I assure you she's doing okay," Raine said, "I.. honestly wish I could do more for her."

"I saw when you left to come over here as well, you do seem like you're taking good care of her," She said, pausing for a moment before muttering out a small 'Thank you.'

"I'm surprised you didn't come up earlier to say hello," Raine chuckled, "She wouldn't have been too upset I don't think."

"Wouldn't have been thrilled though," Lilith mumbled.

"That's true, but I think it'd mean a lot for her to see you again," Raine said. Lilith only looked away solemnly.

"I suppose so," She said. The two continued to chat while the line moved. Eventually Raine got to the front and Lilith ended up paying for Eda's kebab.

"My treat," She told them.

"Thank you," They said, "Honestly, I haven't been too sure about money for the next few months, so that means a lot."

"Wait what's wrong with your money? Are you and Eda doing okay with money?" Raine wanted to slap themself in the face once again.

"Oh-Oh! Nothing sorry about that I didn't mean like that," Raine said, diverting from the topic, "Surely you have to go back to your duties, do you want to come say hi to Eda though?"

"Uh, sure I suppose," She said. Raine made their way back over to the bench Eda was sat on with Lilith close behind.

"Raine! There you are! I was getting worried something… had happened…" Eda trailed off as Raine handed her the kebab. She stared dead behind them at Lilith.

"Hello, Edalyn," Lilith said.

"What are you doing here?" Eda growled.

"I… just wanted to see you again, it's been a while," Lilith said, almost avoiding Eda's piercing glare.

"Well I would rather not see you right now, Lilith," The redhead said. She turned away. That's when Raine noticed Lilith's eyes fall down to her neck, and was followed by a confused stare. She definitely noticed the concealment stone. The next few moments were tense but eventually Lilith sighed, admitting her defeat.

"If you insist," Lilith said, "I'll be around if you ever need anything. Both of you."

And with that Lilith walked away, leaving Eda and Raine alone again.

It was quiet between them before Eda spoke.

"What the fuck was that?" Eda asked them. Raine's eyes widened.

"I thought you'd like to see her!" They said.

"You realize the whole point of this thing was to keep attention away! I didn't want the Emperor's Coven anywhere near me right now! What if she tried to pull something!" Eda said to them.

"Eda… she's your sister," Raine said, "She would never-"

"But what if she knew! What if Belos made her say something? Then the Emperor's Coven would be right on our doorstep and that is the last thing I want to deal with right now!" She stood up, nearly throwing her kebab to the ground.

"Wait Eda-"

"Let's go home." She said, picking up her stuffed possum and beginning to storm off.

"Eda!" Raine shouted after her as she summoned Owlbert. Raine raced up to her as she sat on the stick. They joined her, though decided it was best not to talk yet.

Once they got home, Eda was the first to enter the house. She took the necklace off and flopped onto the sofa with her stuffed prize. She still wasn't saying a word to Raine.

Raine went to the kitchen and made tea in the meantime. Eda would surely accept tea as an apology. Several minutes went by as they waited for the water to boil. Eventually it did and Raine seeped the tea. They got a tray for the teapot along with cups. They carried it to the living room and set it on the coffee table.

"I'm sorry," Raine said to her, "I should have thought about that part." Eda didn't respond, only continued to sit on the sofa with her arms crossed above her stomach. They added, "Would you like some tea?"

"Sure," Eda said, "And… look, I'm not that mad, it's just… today was a lot."

"I know," Raine said, approaching the sofa and sitting beside Eda, "You haven't been in public for a while. I've been worried about that all day, I should have brought it up"

"Well… I was fine up until that… but I'm still not going back out until probably next year," Eda mumbled. She let out a long sigh and leaned over into Raine. Raine graciously took her and leaned into her as well, stroking her hair.

"That's okay. I'll wait for you," Raine said.

"You're so sweet," Eda said, "I don't deserve you."

"I don't deserve you either, my dear snapdragon," They smiled, "Even if it ended like this I did enjoy getting to go out."

"Me too," Eda said. She hissed, and Raine could feel her stiffening up under their grip. Another Batson, they presumed.

"Would you like me to hum you something real quick?" They asked. Eda slowly nodded as she softened back up. Raine began to hum, still stroking her hair. Gradually she relaxed more and more under their grip before she was nearly half asleep. Raine placed a kiss on her forehead.

"How about tonight… we watch a movie." They suggested.

"Die Bard 2," Eda whispered.

"You know me," Raine chuckled, "I'll go make you some lunch while the tea seeps, is that okay?" They asked. Eda nodded and they stood up, leaving her alone on the sofa. While heading to the kitchen she called out to them.

"Wait," Eda said, sitting up. They stopped, "I'm sorry about all of this. You were just trying to be nice… and it's your birthday"

"Eda, it's okay," Raine said, "You were voicing how you felt and I'm completely okay with that. You did not ruin my birthday."

They stood a moment more to stare at Eda, who only blinked back at them. Eventually, she turned away, an almost regretful look in her eyes.

Raine sighed and entered the kitchen.

They stopped in front of the fridge as they realized something.

"Shit! I didn't go see Ma and Mom!" They swore at themself, finally out loud.

November 26th, 1999

Dear diary,

It's been a long day! Even if most of it was in the morning and afternoon, it was still pretty eventful. Birthdays are like that I suppose. Eda was being Eda, and I'm sure today was especially hard on her. I worry about her. A lot. Especially right now.

But funny enough, guess who I saw today. Lilith. It was weird seeing her again. Honestly, I'm still not used to her dyed hair. We had a nice chat, and I brought her over to see Eda. That went poorly. I feel bad. I didn't think that through.

All is well though, we talked about it and Eda forgave me and she even apologized, which was weird but it's okay I think. She seems… off. I don't know how else to explain it. I know she's more stressed about the baby than I am.

With this cold weather, I am worried about when the baby is born. Might pick back up knitting for a bit and knit some hats for them. Gosh! I really do sound like a parent! I'm so excited to meet them to be honest with you, diary.

Tonight we watched Die Bard 2 again though, and then, per Eda's very odd request, we watched… a peculiar documentary that has to do with the above. I'm not sure if it helped relieve her stress or just made it worse. I know it didn't do me any good. I'm super surprised she even wanted to watch something like that. I'm surprised too.

But now I'm 25! I can hardly believe it! I've been here for 25 years, and hopefully I'll be here for at least another 25 more! It was a good birthday. I liked the presents I got. Eda made me cupcakes and they have been delicious. Though it's late and even though I've already played a tune for Eda to go to sleep, I don't know if that worked.

Good night diary,

Raine

Nearly a week later, Raine awoke in the middle of the night. Sitting up they shivered, feeling a chilly breeze from the window behind them. What they noticed was that Eda was currently not in bed. The last few days she had been incredibly lethargic, so this perplexed Raine.

They decided they'd go ahead and find her. They put their glasses on and stood up, stretching their arms in the process They took a quick peak outside. It was snowing.

It was snowing?!

A perplexing event. This was Bonesborough, it never snowed here.

Raine left the room, still shocked by the appearance of snow outside. They first checked the bathroom, which they found was empty. Next they looked down a few doors into the nursery. Eda didn't spend much time there, but she enjoyed the rocking chair every now and again. She, though, was not in there either.

For a moment they took in the room's decorations. The walls were a deep red, and the furniture was newly stained to be a deep brown and had painted soft yellow accents. The crib had been filled with several stuffed animals, and the stuffed possum Eda had won was placed beside it. Too big for a baby, but still would one day be used.

After thinking for a few moments they finally figured Eda was downstairs getting a midnight snack. She hadn't been doing that but it didn't seem too odd.

They went downstairs and summoned a quick light spell. They entered the kitchen and saw Eda standing on the other side of the table. In the dim light all Raine could see was the shadow of her face and the glass of water she had in front of her.

"Eda! I'm sorry, I could have gotten you a glass of water if you woke me up," Raine chuckled. Eda, though, did not respond. They stopped laughing and raised an eyebrow. Raine approached her and noticed there was a puddle of what they assumed was water on the ground puddled below Eda.

"I…"

"Oh!" Raine exclaimed, "You dropped it, I'll clean it up dear, you can go back to bed."

"Raine it's not… it's not water," She clarified. Eda looked up and they saw her face looking totally panicked.

"Eda…" Raine trailed off, putting two and two together:

"It's… It's…" Eda didn't have to finish the sentence for Raine to know what was happening. The fear on her face said it all.

The baby was coming.

,,,,,

I kid you not I wrote a note to myself when I wrote that last line that complained about how cliche that line is. Blegh. Oh well.

Anyways I'll see you next week. I actually gave myself a deadline, how fun! Expect the update on December 2nd! For... no particular reason at all. *Cough* check a calendar *cough*

Also ALSO notice I fixed my mistake. I have converted to the truth that Raine is a viola player because someone pointed out that the clef of their music is the clef viola plays in. My world has been shattered.

Final also, if you go look at this on AO3 or Wattpad there's some cool chapter art that I actually am super proud of el oh el