I decided to stagger parts of the chapters right now, since certain moments don't directly flow from others. Here's the first part of chapter 27
Chapter 27
After finding a restaurant to suit both their tastes, Tara and Kara were sitting down to a hearty lunch.
"Twins," Kara muttered, still in awe about it.
"Yep. Pull out the picture and take a closer look."
Kara retrieved the envelop from her purse and pulled out the image. The babies were facing each other. Of course, at this early stage, they didn't much resemble the human beings they were growing into, but all the starting points were there, including the start of two little noses.
"Wasn't that the most beautiful sound you've ever heard?" Kara asked, gazing at the picture.
"One of the top five, definitely. You're glowing already." Tara leaned over the table to look at the photo herself. "They're pretty cute, and so tiny. Are you telling Spike soon?"
"Tonight, if I can manage to make my mouth work. We're having two babies, Tara! Two! Two girls, or two boys. One was impossible. How did we get two?"
"Life decided to bless you, Kara."
"Simple as that?"
"Why not? So, tell me how the wedding is going to work."
"It's pretty simple, actually. We say some words in front of the Elder, then go do the private part. The preparation before the ceremony is what takes a lot of time, but I guess that's true with every wedding. We'll go over there on Saturday, make sure the arrangements are set, and have girls'-night-in in my suite. You're my chaperone to make sure I don't 'sneak off to see my intended', or let him come to me. In the morning, we have breakfast, then the servants come in to get me ready, do all the primping and such. The longest part of that is probably painting the wedding prayer on my spine."
"How does that work?"
"One of the servants will paint the symbols on my spine with water-soluble ink. It will go from the nape of my neck to the base of my spine. The prayer is actually in two parts, the other half being painted on the groom. It will come off later with soap and water. It's traditional to wear your hair up and reveal your back for the ceremony, so your mate can see the writing. The groom goes shirtless, for his part."
"I'm sure you don't mind that."
"Nope, not a bit," Kara said with a grin. "So, we get dolled up, and you'll stay with me until the ceremony starts, then you can just watch the ceremonial part, and go back to the palace when it's over."
"The ceremony doesn't take place in the palace?" Tara wondered.
"Nope. A pavilion is set up a ways out into the garden, divided in two sections. The front room is open, for the ceremony to be viewed, and the other half is where we will claim each other. It was set up this way ages ago to ensure the couple privacy, and spare the ears of the rest of the palace occupants," she explained.
"Ah, right. Well, what should we do after lunch? You have hours to kill before Spike will be at the house."
"Shopping?"
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The woman sat at her desk, working late on paperwork, when a call came in for her.
"Yes?"
"We searched the office, ma'am. There were no medical records for the subject, but we did get a name."
"Excellent. Bring copies of all you found, and make sure no one knows you've been there. I want the report on my desk by morning."
"Yes, ma'am. Understood."
The brunette smiled to herself. "Finally, I'll have a name to go with the face," she murmured to the image frozen on her computer screen from a surveillance camera.
