A/N: Thanks to all my wonderful reviewers, your reviews are appreciated! Sadly, this is the last chapter of the story, but I promise there are epilogues to come. I have had so much fun writing this story, and I'm sad to see it go. If anyone has any plot ideas for a sequel, or a follow-up story, please let me know.
Disclaimer: Only the characters you don't recognize are mine.
Everything She Ever Wanted: Chapter 10
"The baby's coming!"
Shadow went pale at this proclamation, but his mother merely moved from her seat to rest to her hand on Nara's belly. Green Gift shimmered against Nara's stomach, and Althea's face creased with worry.
"It seems you're right, Nara," she murmured, moving to support the girl. "It is your time."
Nara winced as another contraction rippled through her body, and Shadow said anxiously, "She can't have the baby now! She still has three months left!"
Nara managed a weak smile through her pain. "Babies don't always come at the appointed time." Shadow nodded and moved towards the door, knowing that this was something he shouldn't witness, but Nara's hand on his arm stopped him.
"Shadow, I swear to the Goddess, if you walk out on me right now, I will tear you from limb to limb and then I will leave and never come back." She hissed through her pain, her blue-black eyes glinting with steely determination as her nails dug into his skin. Shadow nodded, of course he would stay with her; what other choice did he have?
With their help, Nara made it to the bed in one of the guest rooms. At his mother's urging, Shadow left, only to return shortly with towels and hot water. He returned to his seat at Nara's side, and she grabbed his hand in a vice-like grip.
Seeing her writhe in pain broke Shadow's heart, and he tried to soothe away some of it, while she kept her grip on his hand.
Nara looked up at him, sweating. "Shadow," she gasped. "This may not be this best time to say this, but I forgive you." She managed a slight smile. "I never blamed you for what you said. You saved me from making one of the biggest mistakes of my life."
Shadow smiled down at her, his green eyes shining with hope and love. "I know," he replied softly, and then they winced in unison as another contraction passed and Nara gripped his hand tighter.
"Nirav," Nara said softly, and Shadow looked up, hardly daring to hope as she addressed him by his name for the first time. She grimaced and then smiled. "I love you."
Shadow gazed down at her; she was beautiful, even in her sweat-soaked state. "I love you and the baby too." He murmured, kissing her forehead.
"The baby's making it hard for me to think straight," Nara murmured, causing Shadow to smile. She grunted again, her back arching as another wave of pain passed through.
Hour after hour passed as Nara wished fervently for the pain to leave. Finally, Althea brightened from where she stood at the end of the bed. "Nara, it's coming!"
Nara pushed with all her might at Althea's command, biting her lip, but eventually, the pain was too much for her, and she screamed. Shadow jumped, but in a moment, he was there, cradling her and soothing away her pain. The next second, they both heard a sound that warmed their hearts.
"WAAAAAHHHHH!"
"Congratulations, Nara." Althea murmured from where she stood, cleaning off this new life. "You have a baby girl." She placed the cleaned baby in Nara's arms, and Nara gazed down at her daughter.
The baby was smaller than normal, due to her early arrival, but Althea promised she would grow. Nara had forgotten what having a baby was like, and she beamed at her child like a first mother. She had forgotten what her labor with Aidan was like, and she gazed down at her daughter.
"She's perfect." She murmured, staring down at the new life in her arms. The baby had a downy cap of black hair covering her head, and her skin was tanner than the normal red most babies were. She appeared to have inherited her mother's facial features, but only time would tell what color her eyes were.
She looked up at Shadow, who was gazing down at her in absolute adoration. She grinned, tired but happy. "Would you like to hold our daughter?" Shadow looked up, pleasantly surprised by her wording, and nodded.
Gently, he accepted the little girl from Nara's arms, and looked down at this precious life he had been given. His heart warmed to think that she was his, if only in name, but he loved her all the same. The same way he loved her mother. The baby turned her face up to him, as if sensing his presence, and she made a series of chirruping and purring squeaks. Shadow looked to Nara, somewhat alarmed, but she merely smiled at him.
"She's saying hello."
Shadow cradled the baby, afraid that he might hurt her. She seemed so fragile. He couldn't believe the gods had given him this gift, and he sent up a prayer of thanks to any who were listening. Suddenly, the baby's small fingers grasped one of his own, and he gasped at the touch, dropping a kiss to her forehead instinctively.
He looked up to find Nara watching them, smiling. He returned the smile, resting on the edge of her bed. Nara moved over, making room for him, and he stretched out, cradling his daughter between them. His heart warmed at those words. His daughter.
Nara's eyes drooped, but Shadow had one more question to ask. "What's her name?"
"Yasmin," Nara murmured sleepily. "Her name is Yasmin." With that, she was asleep, leaving Shadow the pleasure of bonding with his new daughter.
Nara was once again surrounded by mist, and although she could see Alex and Aidan, (Galen was nowhere to be seen) they were barely faint outlines.
"You're free, Nara." Alex's voice floated to her, and her throat tightened, knowing he approved of her choice.
"Go to him," he murmured, his blue eyes shining with all the love in the world. Nara smiled, knowing she would never forget him.
"He needs you as much as you need him," Alex continued, and smiled gently at his wife. "Go, and raise your—and our—daughter in my memory."
"Always," Nara choked out, smiling through her tears. "Goodbye." She whispered, and the white mist dissolved into the blissful darkness of sleep.
One day, a messenger arrived at the Dancing Dove with a message for 'Lady Nara.' Nara looked up from burping Yasmin as Haunt came to find her.
"Nara, you're needed downstairs." Nara removed her two month old daughter from her shoulder and sighed. Yasmin inspected her mother with leaf-green eyes, the black hair had grown to cover most of her head sticking up at odd angles. Passing her daughter to the other woman, and leaving Yasmin cooing up at her 'Aunt Glissa' Nara made her way downstairs, ready to give whoever needed her a hard time.
The messenger quailed under the woman's strong blue-black gaze, and he hurriedly delivered his message. "Lady Nara," he quavered, "the family of Falcon's Harbor regret to inform you that your fiancé, Sir Daniel, has been killed." His message delivered, the poor boy couldn't get out of there fast enough, leaving a bemused Nara behind.
"What was that all about?" Shadow asked, coming up to wrap an arm around Nara.
"Sir Daniel's dead." She told him, still trying to process the news herself.
Shadow snorted. "Good riddance." Nara smacked him lightly on the arm, but in her heart of hearts, she was happy to be rid of the lying scum herself.
"Nara!" Haunt's whispery voice floated down the stairs over the loud patrons of the tavern, "will you please come control your daughter?"
Nara looked at Shadow, who lifted an eyebrow. "What?" Nara wanted to know. "She's your daughter, too." Shadow had adopted Yasmin officially a month ago, but he had always thought of her as his.
"Yes," Shadow said, "but His Majesty needs me." He evaded Nara's swipe at his head with the ease of long practice, but Nara's wolfish grin stopped him in his tracks.
"Fine." She told him. "But you're on Yasmin duty tonight." She grinned. "I have a raid that needs my attention."
Shadow sighed, giving in to his fiancé. "As you wish," he mumbled. Nara thanked him with a swift kiss, and he stared after her as she made her way up the stairs to rescue her friend from her daughter's clutches.
"Hey, Shadow," Lightening piped up from a nearby table, "are you ever going to marry her?"
Shadow turned to her friend with a grin. He was content to wait, if it meant being around her every day and sleeping next to her every night. He would wait if it meant playing with a little girl every day, teaching her. If he had to, he would wait until the earth turned upside down and the gods themselves became mortals. His grin became wider.
"Someday."
A/N: This isn't the real end to the story, but it feels like it. I should have the epilogue up in a few days, and then it will be really over. Please review, and plot ideas are welcome!