I apologise in advance for I fear the chapter is a bit rushed (although it took me long enough to write it). But I had to rewrite it and I didn't find a good point to break the chapter in two parts besides close to the end and there wouldn't have been any sense in breaking it up before the last paragraph.

Chapter 20

Every new Beginning is some Beginning's End

Adrian was lying in bed, watching his wife sleep as the first birds sang their morning greetings. The first rays of the May sun fell on Angelina's sleeping face, causing her to turn her head away from the sun. Adrian smiled gently down at her and stroked a strand of her hair out of her face.

He thought back to the cold January night in which he had almost lost her. He could still feel the fear reaching for his heart at the memory of her lying unmoving in this bed, barely breathing. She had never talked about that man he had killed in the forest. She had never asked whether Fred and his friend had escaped. And Adrian was grateful for that. He didn't want to tell her what he had done. Yet he couldn't bring himself to feel guilty over it. He had had a promise to keep. And he had kept it.

Angelina sighed in her sleep as she tried in vain to lie on her side. Adrian's eyes wandered to her stomach. The pregnancy was more than obvious now and Adrian could barely keep his hands from her stomach. He wanted to feel every single kick of the baby. Wanted to hear every heartbeat from the child. Never had he expected to feel this way.

Marjory Pucey was pacing her room as she reread the letter from her sister-in-law. Felicienne's first child was expected any day now and should it be a boy…

Her grandchild had to be born soon. There had to be a way to make it happen sooner. There had to…

"Is this right?" Julia let Angelina look at the words she had written and looked expectantly at her.

"Yes, you're getting better at this every day." Angelina smiled and stroke through Julia's hair. When her sister bent over the paper to write the next words Angelina brought her hand to her stomach and frowned. The baby had never before moved so much that it hurt as it did now. She reached for the cup of tea a house elf had brought her before and emptied it, hoping the tea might calm the child down. Unfortunately this wasn't the case.

Marjory was sitting in the library reading a book when she heard Julia's scream. She called for her personal house elf and ordered it to call the midwife. Then she set her book aside and hurried upstairs to the girl's room where her daughter-in-law was teaching her sister.

She opened the door and saw Angelina kneeling on the floor, holding her stomach, her sister sitting in front of her with tears in her eyes as she asked over and over again what was wrong with her. The cup lay broken on the carpet next to Angelina's legs.

Marjory held Angelina's shoulders and told her to get into bed. She helped her to lie down on Julia's bed and told the child to leave the room, saying this wasn't a place for her now. But Julia didn't leave until Marjory herself ushered her out the door and closed it behind her.

Then she turned back to her daughter-in-law. Angelina was tossing around on the bed, her right hand clutching her stomach while her left one gripped the blanket she was lying on. Sweat was forming on her forehead, keeping a few strands of her black hair against her skin.

Angelina knew there was something wrong. Terribly wrong. There was still a month until the birth. Yet she was sure that the water had just broken. She couldn't remember having ever felt such a pain in all her life. This couldn't be the usual labour pains. This was far worse than any labour pain should be. It wasn't just in her stomach anymore. The pain was taking over her whole body.

She wanted to scream but no sound would come out of her mouth. It was as though she was fighting against her own body. And she feared she was going to loose that fight.

Through the veil of tears in her eyes she could see that the door was opened and heard Marjory talking to someone. Then she saw the person, a woman, walking closer to the bed and frowning down at her. Angelina could hear that she said something to Marjory but she could barely make out the words that were spoken. All she could here was 'not move' 'keep calm' and 'endanger the child' and only seconds later she felt her arms and legs being bound to the bed posts.

Now the tears were running freely down Angelina's face. And for one moment she even whished she would die. If this was what it took to take this pain away from her.

"Adrian!" Julia threw her arms around his waist as soon as Adrian entered the house.

"Julia what is wrong?"

"Angeli… Angelina… she is… I don't know… she was teaching me and…" Julia was trying to speak through her tears but Adrian was already running upstairs. He stormed into Julia's room and the sight that greeted him let his blood run cold in his veins. Angelina was lying in bed as though she was dead. Her wrists and ankles were bound to the bed posts while a woman was running her hands over Angelina's stomach.

"Adrian. What are you doing in here?"

He turned around to see his mother standing at Julia's desk, watching him with wide eyes.

"This is no place for a man. It's woman's work."

Adrian only glared at her before he hurried over to the bed and pulled the midwife away from Angelina.

"ADRIAN! The baby is about to come any moment now. Let the woman do her work, she knows what she's doing!" his mother told him and tried to pull him out of the room.

"WIKI!" Adrian called and at the same time pulled his arm out of his mother's grip. A house elf appeared before him and bowed down.

"What can Wiki do for Master?"

"Get a real midwife immediately. And call for Dyson, he shall take care of Julia."

The house elf nodded and disappeared again. Adrian pulled the midwife towards the door of the room and shoved her out towards the stairs.

"You will leave this house this instant!" And with that he closed the door to Julia's bedroom and hurried back to Angelina's side.

"Adrian. What do you think you are doing?" his mother asked while he released

Angelina's wrists and ankles.

"If you felt it necessary to be bound when I was born I'm really sorry for you, but I won't let Angelina go through this archaic method."

"But the child…"

"Will come no matter if she is bound or free." Adrian interrupted her and took Angelina's hand in his own.

Her eyes seemed so empty, as though she wasn't even there. Adrian swallowed the lump in his throat. He wouldn't allow himself to think like that. Just because the baby was early and his mother had made a wrong choice in a midwife didn't mean there was any more danger here than with any other birth. And Angelina was a strong woman.

He looked at the door when it was opened and the midwife he had called for walked into the room. The woman went immediately to Angelina's other side and frowned at her face.

"I need water." She said while she rolled her sleeves up and put her hand on Angelina's forehead.

"Warm water and some towels as well as blankets."

Adrian called for a house elf and the midwife repeated what she needed. She opened Angelina's eyelid and felt her pulse at her wrist, her lips becoming a thin line when she saw the red marks on the young woman's wrists. Her hands moved to Angelina's stomach and she pressed gently on it, trying to feel the child.

Angelina whimpered at the additional pressure from the outside and turned her head into the pillow.

"Can you hear me?" The midwife asked Angelina and squeezed her hand to get her attention. A weak nod was the only response she got.

"You have to press now." The midwife said but Angelina shook her head as more tears rolled down her cheeks. The midwife frowned and nodded slowly.

"Where do your priorities lie?" She asked Adrian, her eyes cold as they bore into his.

"What?"

"I'm not sure how this will end. It might very well be that we loose one of them. So, who shall it be, the woman or…"

"Make sure you save that child!" Adrian's mother interrupted her. But the midwife didn't listen to her, her eyes still fixed on Adrian's face.

"Adrian, tell her she shall save the child! I didn't get this potion for nothing!"

The midwife could see the colour leaving Adrian's face as he turned to his mother.

"What potion?"

"Felicienne could have a boy any day now! Something needed to be done. So I did what needed to be done!"

Adrian looked back down at his wife. Her face showed the pain she was in, her hand lay motionless in his, and the feeling he had never wanted to feel again came over him all over again. He couldn't loose her!

He looked back at his mother, who wisely took a step back when she looked into his eyes.

"You will leave my house NOW. I don't care where you're going to. You will never step into this house again. You will stay away from Angelina. Should I ever hear that you did as much as look at her I swear I will forget that you are my mother."

Marjory's eyes widened but she didn't say a word in response. She turned around and left the room, left the house she had stayed in for most of her life.

When the door closed behind his mother Adrian turned back towards the midwife. He felt tears gathering in his eyes as he squeezed Angelina's hand tightly.

"Save her. I don't care what you need to do. I can't loose her." He stopped when he felt the fear taking over him. He wouldn't be able to live without her.

"Dyson." Sophia walked into the hall were Dyson and Julia were sitting on the stairs.

"Ah, grandmother, you missed the best part of this day. Marjory has just left the house – forever as it seems." Dyson said, but the smile didn't reach his eyes.

"How is…" Sophia didn't finish the sentence, afraid to scare Julia. The girl's eyes were so red there was no question what she had been doing the past hours. Dyson shrugged and ran a hand through his hair.

"I don't know. They're in there for hours that's all I know. I…"

"Did you hear that?" Julia suddenly asked and arose from her seat.

"What?" Dyson asked her.

"There was a scream."

Sophia brought a hand to her heart and looked worried at Dyson.

"Dio mio!" 1

Dyson was about to run upstairs when there was a second scream. And this time all three of them heard it clearly. And the worried expressions on Sophia and Dyson's faces made place for a smile.

"The baby." Dyson whispered and picked Julia up.

"You heard that? It's the baby. Everything is alright now!"

"It's a girl." The midwife announced and went to wash the child and wrap it into the blanket.

"I'm sorry." Angelina whispered so quietly that Adrian almost couldn't hear it.

"For what?" He asked and ran a hand through her hair.

"It's not a boy." She replied exhausted. The midwife handed Adrian the baby and again touched Angelina's stomach.

"Look at her. She must be the most beautiful baby that has ever been born." Adrian told Angelina and gently stroke over his daughter's cheek. He looked back into Angelina's eyes and smiled at her.

"It's not a boy." She repeated and closed her eyes as though in pain. Adrian worriedly looked at the midwife who was once again pressing on Angelina's stomach.

"It's alright." The midwife announced and Adrian held the baby so Angelina could see her face.

"Look at her and tell me how I could wish for anything more than for you two." He whispered and kissed her lips gently.

"Adrian… I…" she stopped as another wave of pain shot through her.

"Angel, stay calm. Nothing you can't tell me after you had some rest."

But Angelina shook her head slightly and smiled at him.

"I need to say it now." She started and reached with her hand for his face.

"I love you." She whispered when her fingers were running over his lips before she let them fall onto the blanket her daughter was wrapped in.

"I love you too." Adrian told her just as quietly as she had done. But the moment of peace was interrupted by yet another wave of pain that had Angelina almost sitting up in the bed.

"You said everything is alright!" Adrian almost screamed at the midwife while he held his daughter protecting in his arms.

"Everything is alright. Most of the potion has left the body already, so it's only natural that now she is reacting more to the second child."

"Second…child?"

The midwife looked at him and nodded. Adrian looked at Angelina but she seemed just as surprised as he was himself. Their daughter started screaming while her sibling found its way into this world and about twenty minutes later the two screamed together as though trying to find out who was the loudest.

The midwife almost stepped back into the room when she opened the door and saw Sophia, Dyson and Julia standing in front of it. She nodded at them and left the door open for them to enter while she left the house.

Julia ran into the room and was about jump onto the bed and hug her sister when she saw her smiling at her. But she stopped as soon as she was the two small bundles lying next to Angelina in her bed.

"Come here Julia." Angelina called her and Julia walked slowly closer to look at the two babies who were wrapped into two white blankets.

The one closest to Angelina opened its mouth and yawned when Julia looked down at them.

"They are so tiny." Julia whispered, even though she wasn't sure why she was whispering. It just seemed wrong to be loud in here.

"You were just as tiny when you were born." Angelina explained her smiling. Julia looked at her with big eyes.

"Are you okay?" She asked worriedly, still remembering how she had collapsed hours ago.

"Yes, I'm fine." Angelina reassured her and stroked her cheek.

"Can we come in?" Sophia asked from the door and when Angelina nodded walked towards the bed to look at her great-grandchildren. Dyson smiled at the babies and waved at them.

"Hey babies, I'm your great-uncle." He said to them and Sophia watched amused while he made faces at the babies.

"You know that they could as well be your children Dyson, don't you?"

"No, they could certainly not be his!" Adrian said and glared at them.

"You know what I meant." Sophia said and rolled her eyes at her grandson. But she couldn't hide her smile. It was good to see him so happy. And the looks he shared with Angelina told her that this whole 'I-don't-believe-in-love'-nonsense was finally over for them.

"What are their names?" Julia asked and carefully touched the black hair that already covered the heads of the babies.

"The one you're stroking is Sophia Leila." Angelina said and looked at Sophia as she said this.

"Like mama." Julia smiled when she heard the girl's second name.

"You gave her my name?" Sophia asked surprised.

"Marjory was out of question." Adrian replied and his grandmother gently patted his shoulder.

"And this little tired baby is Michael Esmond." Angelina said and smiled down at the baby that was lying directly next to her. Sophia reached for the baby boy and held him in her arms.

"So you are my heir." She smiled down at him tenderly but the only response Michael had was another yawn.

"He seems not interested in money at all." Dyson smiled as he touched the boy's little hand.

"It would be awful should he already be interested in it." Sophia replied.

"And I hope many years will pass before he is interested in it. I'd hate to see him grow into a man who wants me dead as soon as possible so he can get his hands on all the money."

But Sophia's fears were unnecessary. In fact, many of her silent and not so silent hopes she still saw happening. She was still very much alive when Dyson found himself a young woman he fell in love with and whom he married and started a family with. She still saw Julia finishing school and getting married herself. And she also saw her great-grandchildren leaving home to go to school.

Sophia Pucey, nee DiAngelo, died twelve years later on an evening in late February while the last rays of the sun shone onto the first snowdrops in the garden. And all the money and estates were the last thing on Michael's mind while the eleven-year-old and his sister Sophia picked the late-winter flowers to put them onto their great-grandmother's grave.

And yet, Sophia had been smiling when she had died. She had been smiling at the knowledge that she would be united with her husband. And at the knowledge that the only child of her youngest son had found something that most people take for granted while it is the most special thing in the world: Love!

The End

1My god!