"What happens when the kids grow up?"

Tom looks down at his papers and pretends to ignore her. "Go do something else." He says, annoyed that she's still talking to him.

"I'm still stuck in this body." She says looking down at her seventeen year old frame and then back up at him. "What happens when the kids get older? Are they going to look older then me or what's going to happen?"

He sighs and finally looks up at her. "Do you know what's in that necklace you wear?" He says pointing a finger to the locket around her neck. She shakes her head. "It's a part of me. It's what keeps you young and unblemished. When the children reach a matured age they can make that decision for themselves."

"You'll give them a choice?" He nods his head. She fingers the silver locket. "So what part of you is in this?"

"My soul." He says flatly, turning away from her again.

"How is that?" she asks, totally confused. "And would they get a part of your soul if they decide they want to be like us?"

"Stop asking me questions." He snaps. "Shouldn't you be doing something?"

She frowns at him and puts her hand over her pregnant stomach. "Everyone's asleep and you aren't coming to bed anytime soon…" she cuts herself off when she realizes she doesn't need to explain herself to him. "How is your soul in this?" she asks as she walks towards his desk and sits down on the smooth wood.

He scowls. "It's complicated magic that you wouldn't understand."

"Don't talk to me like I'm stupid." She says with narrowed eyes.

"I don't even want to talk to you at all right now. So leave."

She stands up and glares at him. "You're a jerk." She says before stomping out of the room.

Tom sighs again and focuses on his paper. He doesn't want to explain that whole complicated thing to her right now. He has things he has to do. He makes a few notes on an empty sheet of paper and prepares for another round of mindless paper work as a tiny knock on his door makes him even more annoyed then he was earlier.

"Leave me alone." He says sternly to whoever knocked. He nearly hexes someone as the door slowly opens. "I said to leave me alone." He says harshly as he stands up, prepared to slam the door on whoever is disturbing him but when he sees a little head of curly black hair he relaxes. "Go back to bed, Madelyn."

"I'm not tired." The little girl states. Rubbing her eyes and yawning as she walks into the room, past Tom. He clenches his fists as she settles down on his desk chair. "You're not in bed." She points out.

He picks her up and places her back on her feet with her body facing the door. "Go to bed." He repeats again, giving her a little pat on her bottom.

She turns around and stomps her foot. "I'm not tired! I want to stay with you."

"Go find your Mother."

"She in bed!"

"You should be in bed too!"

"I not want to go to bed!"

"You're supposed to be the good one!" Tom yells throwing his hands up in the air and then rubbing his face. "Madelyn, it is late and you should be asleep. I'm going to count to three and if you're not in your room then you're going to be in trouble. One… two…"

Madelyn doesn't move but her face turns red and she starts to sob. Tears roll down her cheeks as her little hands ball into fists at her sides. "I'm not going!" she screeches through her sobs.

He tries not to look at her pitiful display. "Stop crying."

"I want to stay with you! I want to stay with Daddy!" She stomps her foot repeatedly. She was supposed to be the sweet one. Tom groans and flinches when she yells again. "I want Daddy!"

He looks at her for a few moments, taking in her purple footed pajamas and her messy black hair. Something with in him melts. "Fine." He breaks. Picking her up and holding her against his chest. She sniffles against his neck as she lays her head on his shoulder. "You can stay with me for a little bit, but you have to go to bed when I say so. Okay?"

"Okay." She whispers by his ear.

He sits back down on his desk chair with Madelyn on his lap as he goes through more papers and more letters. After a few minutes the little girl's breathing becomes heavier and her body slumps. She's asleep and Tom rolls his eyes before standing up with the sleeping toddler in his arms.

With heavy steps he makes his way upstairs to his daughter's bedroom. Calpurnia is not in her bed and his over protective instincts automatically kick in and his eyes narrow as he walks, with the toddler still in his arms, to Castor's nursery. He's not in his crib either. His wand hand twitches as he clenches his jaw. He swiftly walks to the main bedroom, trying not to wake the little girl in his arms. He forcefully opens the door to find his wife and his two missing children totally asleep on his large bed.

The irritation that would normally be there is washed out by a sense of relief. He lays Madelyn beside her sister while he changes into his night clothes. He takes a moment to look at his large family on his bed, the family that he created, before crawling onto the opposite side of the bed and resting his head on his comfortable pillow. For as cold and hateful as he can be he does like it when they all sleep in the same bed. At least he knows where they are at all times.

Something has been troubling him recently. It's just a feeling really but he can't seem to shake his paranoid thoughts that he keeps on having. There have been more bombings recently at the ministry and the homes of his important followers. There will be another uprising soon. That's really the reason why he wants to open the camps now. The resistance is still alive and fighting by a thin thread but now more muggles seem to be involved, fighting along with them. A tiny cough makes him turn his head to look at the people closest to him.

Isabel is on the other side of the bed with Castor spooned in her arms, her pregnant stomach sticking out from her silk night gown. Calpurnia is sleeping beside them on her back with one hand under her pillow and her legs spread out, taking up most of the bed. She takes up more room then three people would. He props head up with his hand under his head as Madelyn snuggles in close to his chest. His enemies wouldn't hesitate to hurt them just to hurt him. They think he's the main source of all evil in the magical world so they probably think they'd be doing the world a favor if they killed his children, his spawn, his creation. It's really a frightening thought.

He hates most that it's a weakness.

They seem to think they have the moral highroad on their side but they don't take into account that the Death Eaters, the people who believe in the pureblood doctrine, and even the Dark Lord himself have a loved family. People they would miss if they were gone. It's a double standard that can find no middle ground.

Castor is in the most danger right now because he's the boy and the resistance probably thinks that makes him more important in the eyes of his father. Just as Tom thinks that Isabel cracks her eyes open and glares at him through strands of red hair. She's still angry with him for being such a bastard to her earlier. He smirks at her, unable to do much else and not wanting to wake the kids or have her catch on to his distressing thoughts.

That makes her glare harder and then she snaps her eyes shut to ignore him. Tom falls into a fitful sleep with terrible dreams dancing in his mind.

X

"Would you like to tell us your secret?" One reporter asks with a charming smile as she holds a microphone right up to Isabel's face. "How to you stay looking so young and pulled together with such a busy lifestyle. Our women readers would really like to know."

She hates reporters and they seem to be all over the place now. Isabel ducks her head to avoid the flashing cameras and quickens her steps with the stroller wobbling along the cobble stone street. The body guards do most of the work by pushing the annoying press people away but a few of them manage to break through.

"What are you out for today, My Lady?" Some annoying man asks with a balding head and cigar hanging from his mouth. "Family outing, eh? Where's the Great Lord?"

You would think they would be wise enough not to mess with the woman who is married to the Dark Lord. "Leave me alone." She says harshly, almost positive that her negative attitude will be written about tomorrow morning. "Just go bother someone else."

She understands now why Tom locked her away in that stupid castle. It's like a crazy jungle out here. The past few years have given her some kind of freedom though and she does like to take advantage of it. She pushes through another throng of people as she makes her way down the street, thankful that the girls are with Tom today or she might have lost them in this mess. She looks over the head of the stroller to make sure Castor is still alright. He has his thumb in his mouth and a toy snake in his arms as he sleeps away against the comfortable pillows of his seat. That boy can sleep through anything.

She finally reaches her destination and when she enters the small shop she slumps against the door and sighs in relief. She isn't the poised noble looking woman that people want to make her out to be. In reality she's just a young woman who doesn't know what she's doing half the time.

"Is the new baby a boy or girl?" She groans and turns her head to the reporter standing in front of her. He's tall with slicked back brown hair and dark brown eyes. He doesn't seem as eager or erratic as the others. How did he get in here? Reporters aren't allowed in this store.

"Excuse me." She says, walking past him with Castor rolling in front of her. The sales girls all fawn over her to try to help but she shoos them away too. She just wants to shop by herself. She is so very rarely allowed outside of the house that she would like to enjoy it when she actually is.

The man is by her side in a second. "Is it a boy or a girl?"

"That's none of your business." She says sharply. It's not her job to be nice to every crazy person who talks to her.

She makes a sharp turn and tries to lose him behind a rack of dress robes. She can still feel his eyes on her as she sorts through the baby clothes. She flicks a glance to her body guards at the door to make sure they're still there. They are and she knows that nothing bad will happen with them on watch. She finds a cute little green outfit that she picks up and runs her fingers over the smooth material. Castor is waking up from his nap and cool blue eyes glare up at her from his stroller.

"What do you think, honey?" She says softly. She kneels down in front of him and holds the outfit up to him. "Do you think it will look good for Daddy's birthday?"

"Da." He says, reaching out towards the outfit, dropping the snake on the floor. "Dada."

"That's right… for Daddy." She says with a warm smile. The slick looking man steps up to her again and her body tenses. "I think we found what we need." She says to the little boy.

Without looking at the stranger she takes the out fit and starts to steer the stroller away. "You dropped this." The man says, she looks over her shoulder and sees him holding the stuffed snake in his long fingered hands.

"Thank you." She says tightly. Grabbing the stupid snake away from him. She really doesn't like to threaten people with Tom but sometimes she can't help it. "Good bye." She says, hoping he takes the hint and leaves her alone.

She walks up to the sales desk to pay for her purchase but before she makes it there the man grabs her arm. She turns around to yell but the man throws something on the ground, causing the room to be engulfed in a cloud of smoke. Isabel tries to say something but her voice is weak and she tries to get a hold of Castor but her muscles go slack. She passes out and lands in the slick mans arms as he takes the sleeping one year old from his stroller seat and apparates them away.

X

"What do you want for your birthday, Father?" Calpurnia asks as she colors on a blank sheet of paper. She calls him that because she knows he likes it better then 'daddy' but it comes out sounding more like 'foder' then father.

"He want a day of silent." Madelyn cuts in as she pushes her crayons all over the floor. Tom snorts at her reply and the truthfulness behind her words. He is constantly telling them to be quiet.

Calpurnia rolls her eyes at her sister and then turns back to Tom. "What do you really want?"

He doesn't remove his eyes from the paper he's reading. "Whatever you want to give me I'm sure will be sufficient."

"The new Lucy Lovely doll?" She says sweetly. Tom looks over to her as she smiles an innocent smile at him. She's been wanting that stupid toy for three months. How clever of her. "I could watch her for you, you know."

"No dolls." He says solidly, smirking at her attempt to be sly.

"When are Mommy and Castor going to be home?" the three year old asks as she collects all the crayons she spilled and places them in a pile. "I miss them."

"They should be back any time now." He says flicking a glance down at his watch. "Keep drawing."

Ten minutes roll by and Calpurnia becomes restless with coloring. She exhales noisily and taps her feet against the cold wood floor.

"What is it?" Tom snaps, annoyed by all the noises she's making.

"Why did you let Mommy out today?" she asks curiously, as she watches him with a furrowed brow. "You never let her out."

"She asked nicely." Is all he's willing to say. He won't tell her that he felt guilty over being mean to her last night so he gave in and let her go somewhere by herself…. Well, with people to watch over her, but still by herself meaning with out him.

Calpurnia slides out of her seat and walks over to her father with light steps. She stops by the arm of his chair and he lifts an eyebrow at her. "What do you want?" he asks sharply.

"Why do you always say no when Mommy asks you a question?"

"I don't always say no." She looks at him with blank eyes and he folds his paper and sets in on the table. "I told her yes today."

"I know." She says, chewing her lower lip, a habit she picked up from her Mother. "But most of the other times you say no."

"Because your mom usually asks me stupid questions that need to be said no to."

"She always tells you yes." She points out, like he was being unfair.

"Because I'm always right and I'm her husband."

"So I should always say yes to my husband?"

"Yes… wait… no you don't always say yes. What do you mean husband? You aren't even six yet." He says, becoming flustered. Only his children can do this to him.

"But I will be married one day." She says looking at him with wide eyes. "And will my man always be right?"

"I don't want to talk about his anymore." He says harshly. "Go play."

She pouts at him but when he doesn't give in she huffs and stomps back towards her sister to play. Ten minutes late turn to half an hour late and Tom suddenly becomes nervous. The wizards with Isabel and Castor aren't returning his call and his wand is starting to burn. Something has happened. The charms on her wedding band could tell him that much.

He stands up and grips his wand as two of his followers come stomping into the room. "My Lord!" they say urgently as they fall to their knees in front of him.

Calpurnia and Madelyn watch the display from behind their father's legs. "What is it?" he asks, having a feeling in his gut on exactly what's wrong.

"It's your wife and son… they're missing."

X

"There's a potion to induce labor…"

"…She's almost eight months along. We could cut it out of her…."

"It's another boy. The doctor said so. If we have both his sons…"

Isabel hopes that's she's dreaming as these words float in and out of her mind. She reluctantly cracks her eyes open and is met with total darkness. Light creeps in from the door on the other side of the room. The floor she's lying on is cold and wooden. She must be in a regular room in a house. Groggily she stands up and panic seizes when she her eyes adjust to the darkness and realizes that Castor is not in here with her.

"We can't kill them just yet… let him know what we want… should work…" disembodied voices float towards her.

She starts to run towards the door where the light and voices are coming from but she's jerked back when she makes it half way across the room and she fall to her knees, catching herself with her hands from landing on her stomach. She looks behind her and starts to cry when she sees the chain that's attached her ankle. She can't get out of it. She tries a million different ways and angles to release herself but nothing works against the strong metal. She hears a soft cry coming from the door way and she starts yelling.

"Where is my son!" she yells as she hears him cry. She stands up and starts pounding on the walls and stomping her feet. "Bring me my son!" He must be so afraid right now. Who is doing this?

Pregnancy easily makes her tired and the tears she crying doesn't help, she falls to the floor in fear and panic as the door slowly creaks open.

"Where is my son?" she asks again as a tall shadow steps into the room. The light travels in more making Isabel squint as she looks up at the bulky woman with her hair in a tight bun.

"He's fine for now." The hard woman says, looking her up and down. "Do you know why you're here?"

"Because of who I'm married to." She states. Knowing full well this is all Tom's fault some how. The woman keeps on staring at her with beady eyes. She realizes she must look pathetic so she stands up. "He's only a year old. You have to let me see him."

"You don't get to ask anything here." She says. She makes a movement with her hand and a skinny looking boy plops down a bowl of some dog food looking stuff. "You should eat up, you don't know when your next meal will be."

"Don't do this." Isabel finally brings herself to whine. "Look, I've known the Weasley's and other people who work in the resistance. I've been trying to make things better." She says, thinking she's dealing with the Order or some other rebels like that.

The woman sneers at her. "We don't care if your friends with dirty blood traitors or mudbloods." She says hatefully and Isabel realizes she has totally misjudged the situation. "We're real purists. We refuse to follow some filthy half blood like your husband."

Isabel gulps. "You're going to regret this." She says softly. For once hoping that Tom lives up to his reputation as being cruel and merciless with these people when he finds them.

"Not before you do I assure you."

That's all she says before leaving the room and slamming the door. Isabel sits on the floor again and kicks the bowl of slop away from her. The rest of the night she's taunted with the sad cries of her son who seems to be in the room right next to hers. She places a hand over her stomach, feeling her new son kick as she stares at the light creaking in from under the door.