A/N: Alrighty then, here is chapter thirteen of this wonderful story. There is a HUGE twist in it, but please, don't hate me until you finish the whole story. Again, sorry it took me so long to get it up. Enough of me talking, ON WITH THE STORY!! XD.
-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-
Brea sighed as their long precession finally arrived at Haven. Lately, they had been having problems with a nasty group of bandits and called on the castles help with them. King Johnathon had sent out Groups Twelve, Sixteen, and Fifteen of the Riders, a group of thirty men from the King's Own and a few knights as well, Kel and Neal included.
"Goldenlake." Julianna called out, glancing over her shoulder to peer at Brea.
"What?" She snapped, pulling her hair down and running her hands through it.
"Watch that tone." She threatened. "Come get my horse. Take it to the stables, unsaddle it, and brush her down. Don't forget to feed her either." The procession was quiet as they watched the two girls glare death at each other. Since the whole fiasco on the fields, the tension between them had grown to be as thick as porridge; many people couldn't even stand to be in the same room with them.
"Actually, Julianna, we have people here to do that." Kel spoke up, breaking the silence; she had already dismounted and her horse was being led away by a sleepy looking boy. They had arrived at late at night and several people in the refuge were sleeping soundly.
"I want her to do it." Julianna snapped, glaring at Kel as she dismounted from her horse.
"Like I said." Kel growled, stepping towards Julianna. "We have people here to do that. Leave Brea alone." After a few more minutes, Julianna decided it would be best not to piss off a knight, let alone Kel, so she turned and walked away.
"Kel, you didn't have to do that." Brea muttered, having also dismounted and tied her hair back up.
"Yeah, but I wanted to." She responded with a grin and then shouted orders for everyone to get to bed, so they would be well-rested for the morning.
-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-
Dom shook his head and dismounted from his horse. He should've talked Brea out of that stupid prank, even if it hadn't gone off as planned, what had happened almost cost Brea her life. Guilt liked to follow him around all the time now.
"Dom. You alright?" Asked one of his men, jolting him from his thoughts.
"Yes, I'm fine." Dom replied, shaking his head. "Get some rest, we got alot to do tomorrow." The assembled men nodded and together, started for the barracks, where room had already been cleared for them to sleep. Glancing around, he saw Kel showing Brea around the camp and smiled slightly, before starting in the direction of the room they were supposed to share. He dropped their bags on the floor and collapsed backwards on the bed. In his pocket, he could make out the faint outline of a ring...the ring meant for Brea.
Yes, that's right, Domitan of Masbolle, was going to asked Brea to marry him. He had been working up the courage all day...and finally settled on asking her tomorrow. The door cracked open and Dom sat up right as Brea walked in the room.
"I was wondering where you went." Brea walked towards him and placed a light kiss on his lips.
"Well, Kel was showing you around and I already know this place like the back of my hand. So, I came here." Dom replied and pulled her down on the bed beside him. "You know I love you, right? Even though at times I screw up and act like a neanderthal. You still know...right?"
"Of course I do." Brea ran a hand through his hair, smiling. "Why are you asking?"
"I just needed to be reassured." With that said, Dom kissed Brea and lay back on the bed with her, a hand slipping under her shirt.
-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-
Bang. Bang. Bang.
"Brea! Dom!" This shout was followed by three more bangs on their door. Mumbling curses to the person banging on the door, Brea wrapped a bed sheet around her and, stumbling over clothes and the bags that were still on the floor, made her way to the door, throwing it open.
"What?!" She snapped, seeing that the obnoxious, door-banging person, was Neal.
"I was instructed to wake you two up." He smirked and took in Brea's bed sheet, turned robe/dress. "Was I interrupting something...important?"
"Neal!" Brea snapped and proceded to slam the door in his face; by that time, there had been enough banging and shouting, that Dom was awake. "I'm going to kill your cousin." She muttered to him as she grabbed a bag and walked to the privy.
"He won't be sorely missed!" Dom called to her and could've sworn he heard faint laughter. A few minutes later she returned and he stood up, walking in after her to wash up and get dressed. Plopping down on the bed, Brea began to pull on her boots while she waited for Dom to finish up. Since Dom was taking longer than she expected him too, Brea began to pick up the clothes that littered the floor. As she snatched up a pair of breeches, Dom's to be exact, she heard something hit the floor and bounce to land at the foot of the desk.
"What in the world..." She murmured to herself and bent to pick up the small, silver object. Inspecting it, she realized that it was ring that just so happened to fit, not perfectly, on the ring finger of her left hand; her breath caught in her throat. Did that mean...? Surely not!
"Brea!" Dom called from the bathroom, jolting her back into reality. She slipped the ring into her own pocket and turned to stare at the head protruding from the privvy door.
"Let me guess, you went in there without your clothes." Brea commented and he nodded his head. Laughing, she bent over to grab his bag and passed it to him. Mumbling a thanks, he retreated back into the bathroom. "Hurry up! I'm hungry!" She called out, pulling the ring from her pocket and just sort of staring at it. For some reason, she wasn't exactly sure if she should be happy or just a tad bit confused.
-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-
They had been at the camp for no more than two and a half weeks when Brea felt her body going through a change of sorts. It wasn't the usual one she had every month. No...this one was much different. Every morning, she was awake and vomitting. At meals, she had the weirdest cravings. Then, vomitted again. It seemed to be all she was doing, was throwing up.
"I think you really need to see Neal about this. There could be something seriously wrong with you." Dom was telling her for the fifteenth time as they sat in bed and Brea was fighting the urge to jump up and run outside to throw up again. It was to damn cold for that.
"I know I need to see Neal, but I've been out patrolling almost every day since we have been here. Between that, and vomitting, and actually being able to hold down my food, it's hard to find time to even look at Neal, let alone get him to examine me for an unknown sickness." Brea muttered and looked up at Dom. One look at him and she stuck her tongue out at him, laying her head back down on the pillow. "Alright. Alright. I'll talk to him tomorrow."
"Glad you saw it my way." Dom replied with a chuckle and kissed her on the head, before extinguishing the candle and they drifted asleep.
-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-
Neal stared at Brea and sighed, hands braced on his hips and an eyebrow raised. Why exactly she was in to see him, when nothing was physically wrong with her, he didn't know.
"Mind telling me whats wrong?" He asked, and sat on the stool beside the examination table.
"Just been throwing up alot lately. Weird food cravings. And I have not been able to hold down much of my food." Brea explained, swinging her legs back and forth.
"That doesn't sound good. Lay back for me." Neal commanded and had to gently prod Brea to get her to lay down. "Try not moving around to much."
"Whatver." Brea muttered and tapped her fingers on top of the table; it's not that she was nervous or anything. Actually, that was a lie, she really was nervous. What if she really was sick and was dying or something? Or if she became crippled? A few tears slipped out of her eyes and she quickly snapped them shut.
"Um...Brea, can you open your eyes and look at me. Please?" He asked, shaking her arm and she did as she was told, opening her eyes to see that he looked troubled about something.
"How bad is it?"
"Well actually..."
"Neal, just tell me already and don't make me wait any longer. But be gentle."
"Brea...you...your um..."
"What?"
"Your pregnant."
"WHAT?!" Brea screeched and sat up so fast, and unexpectedly, that her elbow connected with Neal's nose and she didn't even hear the sound of breaking bone. Her mind was going about a thousand miles a minute. How could she be pregnant? They had been so careful...or wait...no way! It just couldn't be true.
"Gods Brea!" Neal groaned, holding a hand to his nose to stop the flow of blood, which seemed to be never-ending; it only took him a few more minutes of pain to force him to heal it.
"It wasn't on purpose!" Brea cried, shaking her head. "I told you to be gentle!"
"I was gentle, you're the one who broke my nose, for Gods sake!" Standing up, Neal went to a basin of water and began to wash the blood off his face. "How are you going to tell Dom?"
"I don't know." Brea collapsed on the floor, knees pulled up to her chest and her face on her knees. "I just can't be pregnant...I can't..."
"Everythings going to be okay." Murmured Neal, squatting down beside her and pulling her into a hug, rubbing her back. "If you want, I will be there when you tell him." She lifted her tear-streaked face from her knees and shook her head.
"No. No. I will tell him tonight, before dinner."
"You sure?"
"I'm positive." Brea replied and Neal smiled, wiping away tears. He stood first, then held a hand out to her, which she accepted and allowed him to pull her to her feet. How in the world was she going to tell Dom about this?
-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-
Dom groaned as he shifted through the piles of dirty clothes that were located in random places around the room him and Brea shared. He was frantically searching, throwing clothes every which way over his shoulders. How could he lose it?
"What the hell did I do with that damn ring?" Dom told himself, running his hands through his hair. "I was going to do it tonight." He growled and once more resumed his search, not even aware that a certain pair of blue eyes were focused on him from the doorway.
"What were you going to do tonight, love?" Brea asked softly, and stepped fully into the room, shutting the door behind her. Dom whirled around and stared at her, smiling and dropping the clothes on the floor.
"Um...nothing." Dom replied and hugged her tightly, kissing her briefly on the lips, before she pulled away from him, looking around.
"You made a mess." She bent and began to gather up the clothes. "Looking for something?"
"Well...yes, bu..but no."
"Maybe I could help you look for it?"
"No, that's alright. I'm sure the blasted thing will turn up eventually."
"Right." Brea deposited the clothes she had picked up in a corner and turned to face him. "Is this what you were looking for?" She asked softly, pulling the ring from her pocket and showing it to him. He took it from her with a relieved look.
"Where did you find this?" Dom asked, dropping it on the desk and walking towards her.
"The first morning we were here, I was picking up the clothes and it fell out."
"Oh." Dom muttered and the silence fell between them; he picked the ring up off the desk and stepped closer to her, wrapping his arms around her waist. "I wanted to wait until tonight, but now is as good a time as ever."
"Dom...what are you talking about?"
"Brea, I love you and I have always loved you." Dom started, smiling and taking her left hand in his. "I want you to be my wife, forevermore."
"I don't know what to say..."
"Say yes."
"Okay, then yes." Brea threw her arms around his neck and hugged him tightly, smiling. He pulled away and they kissed briefly. That was when her thoughts wandered to what happened earlier that day with Neal. "Now it's my turn, I need to tell you something." She backed up until she was sitting on the bed and pulled Dom down on the bed with her. "I went to see Neal today and...well..."
"What?" Dom's expression turned from happiness to concern.
"Well...it turns out that there is nothing seriously wrong with me." Brea started and took a deep breath. "But...um...we will be expecting a little one in nine months or so." The color immediately drained from Dom's face.
"You're pregnant?!" Dom asked flabergasted and looked back and forth between Brea's face and her stomach.
"At least your reaction was better than mine. I broke Neal's nose in the process." She told him and put her hands to his face, making him look at her. "Dom, please for the love of the Gods, say something. Anything."
"What are we going to name it? He? She?" Dom smiled and hugged her tightly.
"So, you're okay with this?" Brea asked cautiously, biting her lip, but still smiling.
"More than okay." Dom replied and kissed her deeply.
-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-
Not to long after Dom proposed to Brea and she told him that she was pregnant, the whole camp was buzzing with the news. It seemed that everyone wanted to come up and touch her stomach and she wasn't even starting to show for gods sake! But, they seemed to think she was. The only person who wasn't happy for her and Dom, was Julianna, but that was to be expected. After awhile, Kel had her taken off patrolling duty in the woods and put on gate guard. It wasn't what she wanted to do, but she didn't dare argue.
"How are you feeling?" Dom whispered in her ear, arm wrapped around her as they lay in the dark.
"Fine." Brea replied and coughed, falling into an uneasy sleep. She couldn't help but feel that something was going to happen. It was a gut instinct that she didn't bode well with. They had only been asleep for about two hours when there was a loud banging on the door. Cursing under his breath, Dom got out of bed and threw open the door, sending it crashing into the wall. Cold air rushed in and Brea curled up under the blankets, oblivious to all outside noises.
"What is it, Neal?" Dom asked sleepily, noticing people running around crazily.
"The bandits. They attacked and are getting ready to do it again. Six of our own are already dead and there is at least four more injured." He explained breathlessly. "It appears they have far more people than we knew about. You and Brea both are needed. Hurry." Turning, his cousin rushed away and Dom shut the door, going back to the bed.
"Brea, get up." He instructed, shaking her shoulders. "The bandits are attacking." Once the words were out of his mouth, Brea was up and groping around in the dark for clothes, the ring bouncing against her chest; she had almost lost it three times, and now it hung on a silver chain around her neck. It didn't take them to long to get ready and soon enough, they were leaving. "Whatever happens to us, I always love you."
"Dom...do not speak like that." Brea shook her head, but was cut off by a brief kiss. "I love you too." She replied before they went their seperate ways. Brea ran to meet up with Mikol and Rebekah and the rest of the Rider Groups.
"There you are, Goldenlake. It took you long enough to get here." Snarled Julianna, shaking her head as they awaited orders.
"Stuff it." Brea growled back and shook her head, fighting the sudden urge to throw up. As they stood around, listening to people rushing around, they were given orders to escort the women who couldn't fight, children, and disabled people out of the refuge so they didn't become innocent bystanders in the coming battle.
"Brea, are you sure you should be about here? I mean, you are a month and a half pregnant." Rebekah pointed out, boosting a three year old girl onto her hip and grabbing the hand of another little girl. Brea was in the same situation.
"If this is all I'm going to be doing, then I have absolutely nothing to worry about. Plus, like you said, I am only a month and a half pregnant." Brea replied and coughed, starting out of the secret exit in the stable.
"Exactly, you could lose the baby with just one wrong hit. It happened to my mother three times. I think her midwife called it a miscarriage."
"Bekah, knock it off, I'm going to be fine."
"Alright. I'll stop bugging you."
"Good." They continued their trek to the safe spot and deposited the children with their parents, before going back to escort more people. It wasn't very much fun, especially since they had to keep the children from being scared and keeping them from crying. Brea wasn't entirely sure she was up for motherhood after carrying crying babies from Haven to the middle of the woods. With dawn quickly approaching, there was still no second attack from the bandits. "What do you think happened?" Brea croaked as her, Rebekah, and Mikol sat under a group of trees, huddled together eating cheese and bread.
"Maybe they were scared off." Rebekah suggested, on the edge of falling asleep.
"Or they are just waiting for us to let our guard down to attack." Mikol also pointed out; he had his moments where he only saw the glass as half-empty. Brea glared and hit his leg as there were people nearby them, listening.
"Stop talking like that. These people are already creeped out enough." She scolded him, and then put her back to the tree, closing her eyes against the brilliant sunlight creeping over the horizon; Brea could hear there was a few babies crying and that Mikol and Rebekah were now arguing, but trying to be as quiet as possible. Being so tired and completely out of it, she didn't realize that she had fallen asleep, that there was no longer a threat of being attacked, or that Dom had picked her up off of the ground and taken her back to their room and she slept until it was dinner time.
-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-
Dom was in the stables, rubbing down his horse. Neal was with Brea, checking her over to make sure that there was nothing going wrong with the baby. Just seven more months and he was going to be a father. It was a weird concept to grasp.
Since the first scare with the bandits, there had been one just like that every single day for the past four days. Everyday, there was another casuality...or five. It seemed as if the bandits were very slowly picking off any of the soldiers they came up against. Once they finally decided to give a full on attack, the odds would be in favor of the bandits.
"Something on your mind?" Kel asked quietly, coming up behind him.
"No, just thinking." Dom replied, dropping the brush on the floor as he had thoroughly brushed the horse three times.
"About what? If you don't mind telling me."
"Well, mainly about Brea and the baby. It's just weird. We aren't married and for Gods sake, we haven't even started to think about the wedding itself. This is all moving faster than I would like for it to."
"Dom, you and Brea will get through this. You have the support of everyone at castle, minus Julianna, because she is a bitter wench." Dom laugh out loud and shook his head. Kel's soon happy expression changed to one of concern. "Brea needs you more than you think."
"What do you mean?"
"Well, she is scared, Dom. I've known Brea for quite a few years and there are very few things that can spook her, but this is one of them. She is scared of not being a good mother or, and this is Rebekah speaking, that she will lose the baby. I rarely, if ever, see her on duty or doing anything other than helping the refuges." Kel knawed on her bit lip and sighed. "And she told me that she's been having these nightmares. Some are about the bandits attacking and killing everyone. Others are about the baby dying in birth. And one in particular..."
"I knew she was having nightmares. She wakes up in the middle of the night, panicked and then leaves and doesn't come back until just before dawn." Dom crossed his arms over his chest. "What is the other one about?"
"That you walk away before the baby is born and that you marry Julianna."
"She's mad!"
"No, she's not Dom, she is worried." Kel put a hand on his arm, trying to calm down.
"But Brea knows that I would never do that to her. I love her more than anything in this whole world. I learned my lesson once and I'm not going to break her heart again."
"Deep down, she knows that, which is probably why she will not tell you about this."
"Then why did you tell me?"
"Because she never told me not to and I felt like you should know." Kel replied with a crooked smile and pulled him into a hug.
"I will talk to her later on tonight. After dinner." Dom replied and with Kel, they started out of the stables and to the mess hall where they joined Brea and Neal. Dom greeted her with a kiss on the cheek. "How is the baby?"
"Fine. Neal says there seems to be no complications and it should be born around Midwinter." Brea replied, simply poking at her food as she wasn't all that hungry.
"Then why do you look so bummed?" He asked, squeezing her hand underneath the table.
"I'm not bummed, just tired." She told him and forced a smile; he looked at her suspiciously, before going back to eating. "Actually...um...I think I'm going to go lie down." Standing up, she kissed Dom on the cheek before leaving. Dom, Neal, and Kel ate in silence until Neal threw down his fork, shaking his head.
"I could care less if Brea is going to kill me, I have to tell you." He blurted out and gestured Dom to move closer so no one overheard. "Brea is two months along now and well, while I was examining her again, I found out that she is pregnant with not one, but two babies."
"Twins?" Dom asked, feeling the same way he did when he thought it was only one baby. Now there was two?!
"Yes, twins. Brea broke my nose again when I told her." He muttered and put a light hand to his nose, which was still sensitive to touch. "She probably will not tell you. She was so freaked when I told her."
"No, you're right. She will not." Dom put down his fork and sighed heavily. Before any of them could say anything else an alarm was being rung and peolpe were rushing around everywhere. Apparently, the bandits were attacking again, but this time for real. The three of them jumped up simultaneously and began following the group of people out of the hall. Neal made for the Healers wing, where he was sure that there would be a flood of people coming in no time.
"Dom, you have to go get Brea. You know she can sleep through anything." Kel ordered and found that he wasn't moving. Putting her hands on his back, she pushed him towards the part of the fort where everyone slept. "GO!" Dom nodded and started moving, weaving throughout the already panicking people. He heard the man in charge of them yelling for him to turn around and come back, but he ignored him. Caring more about Brea than getting in trouble.
"Brea!" He shouted, throwing open the door and found her sound asleep on the bed. Walking towards her, he shook her shoulder. "Hey. Get up."
"Why?" Brea murmured sleepily and turned over to face him.
"The bandits, they are attacking again, we have to get out there." He replied and she nodded, slowly getting out of bed and starting to dress. Once she was done and had her sword buckled on, they started out of the room.
"Goldenlake!" Screeched a voice behind them, making them turn. Julianna sprinted towards them from the end of the hallway, several people following her. "We have to get moving. Were needed on the front."
"Okay." Murmured Brea and turned around to face Dom; giving him a kiss, she then broke away and started down the hall with Julianna. Soon after, he was swept away by his own men. There was already a skermish in progress, between the refugee soldiers and the bandits, they were the reinforcements.
-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-
"ARROWS! TAKE COVER!" The shout rang up around the camp and people hurried to get under cover. Soon after that, there were several shouts of pain issued from around Brea. Not even half awake and she was fighting for her life and the lives of hundreds of others. Damn these bandits. She could just barely make out Dom, who was currently locked in battle with a scruffy looking man, who was about fourty.
"Gods be with you." She whispered and once more had to readjust her position as there was a sudden cramp in her leg.
"Brea, we need to get moving. Kel wants us to try and push the remainding bandits into the fort." Rebekah whispered and together, the two of them crept along the line of people, telling them to start moving. Soon, all of group twelve, headed by Julianna and Brea who were keeping civil tongues around each other, were crawling into the forest.
----
Dom groaned as he pushed himself up off the ground, just in time to avoid being struck, and killed, by a sword. As he jumped up, he could see a flash of color out of the corner of his eye. That meant that the Rider Groups were already on their way to start pushing back the bandits into the fort. Why into the fort? Because just maybe, they could surround them completely and get them to surrender without much more slaughter.
"Dom! Watch it!" Shouted a man and Dom ducked just in time to avoid a fatal blow to his head. Grimacing, he focused all his attention on the matter at hand and in no time, the bandit was down, not dead, just down and not able to get back up. As much as he wanted to focus on just the bandits who were charging on them, part of him wanted to be with Brea so badly. He knew she was okay and that Julianna would not let any harm come to his bride-to-be, if only for the conceited reason that she didn't want to look bad.
----
"If I hear one more word, so help me Great Mother Goddess." Scowled Julianna, glaring at two of the younger males who were complaining of rather painful leg cramps. "Shut your mouth or I will have someone shut them for you." They nodded and sat quietly, but their faces were contorted in pain. "Kel says we have to wait for her signal to move."
"What exactly is this signal?" Brea whispered, poking out from behind the bushes. It didn't matter at all what the two women had against each other, when it came to innocent lives at stake, they put it all behind them.
"No idea. She said that we wo-" A loud BANG cut off the rest of Julianna's sentence and instantly captured the attention of the assembled Riders.
"Not to point out the obvious, but I think that was it." Rebekah muttered and gripped her sword even tighter, so that her knuckles were turning white.
"You are probably right. LET'S GO!" She shouted and everyone stood, charging after her. Some of the bandits were taken by surprise at the sudden attack and didn't even realize they were being surrounded. A few decided they would fight to the death, and they did. Kel strode forward, Neal close behind her.
"By the power of their royal majesties, King Jonathon and Queen Thayet, you will relinquish your weapons to us and surrender." She spoke in a demanding voice. It only took a few more prods in the back by some over eager soldiers and the bandits dropped all of their weapons. "You made the right choice; maybe now you will be sparred death and just rot in jail. I want all of the-" Another loud bang issued from inside the fort and everyone turned, just as people ran screaming and the entire rear end was engulfed completely in flames.
---- (a/n: this is where you are going to hate me. my apologies)
It only took a second for Julianna's mind to go into overdrive and the adrenaline still pumping in her veins forced her to act. Breaking away from the circle, she started towards the fort.
"Goldenlake. Let's go." She called, stopping only briefly to turn and look at the girl, who was pale in the face and looked on the verge of passing out. Dom had his arm around her waist. The bandits were being arrested.
"What?" She muttered softly, looking confused.
"I said let's go, so move!" She barked once more and still didn't she any movement. "There could be other people still trapped in there, we need to hurry." There was a fleeting glance between Dom and Brea, before she broke away and started to run to catch up with Julianna. Dom started after them, but felt an arm on his wrist.
"Don't move. You are under my command. Brea has to listen to her." Kel murmured, watching them disappear through the front gate.
"Kel, the mad-woman is going to get them both killed." Dom said back and tried desperately to ignore the flip-flops that his stomach was doing. Something just wasn't right, he could feel it.
"I do not like her anymore than you do, but she has a reputation to protect. You know as well as I that she would not do a damn thing that would soil it." Shortly after Kel spoke and the rest of the bandits were arrested, there was another explosion, followed shortly by a scream.
"BREA!" Dom shouted and jerked away completely from Kel and Neal, who were trying to hold him back, with no avail. He ran towards the fort and another explosion threw him back into the solid ground. No...no...this wasn't happening.
---- (a/n just so you know, this is what happens in the fort while they are talking)
"What are you doing, Goldenlake? We have no time to be resting." Julianna barked over her shoulder, having noticed the young girl had stopped walking as they were crossing a catwalk. Hands braced on her knees, she fought to catch her breath. She shouldn't be in here.
"I...I can't...breathe." She sputtered out and began to cough violently, unaware that the older woman was now advancing towards her. "We...should..go."
"No, we are doing our duty to the crown by making sure there are no more lives lost." She scowled and forced Brea to stand up straight. "Now let's go." She turned her back and was already walking, when she heard the cracking of wood and a yelp.
"Julianna! Help me!" Brea shouted as she was struggling to hang on. The wood on the catwalk had weakened and she had fallen through a hole. In her field of vision, she saw Julianna's face appear above her, smirking. "Please. Please help me."
"Well, this is interesting." Julianna smiled coldly and placed her boot over one of the hands that struggled to hold on. "Pull yourself up, Goldenlake."
"I...I can't." She could feel tears stinging her cheeks. "Just pull me up."
"Let me think about that..." Julianna tapped her chin, her boot now covering Brea's hand. "Hm...you took away the man I loved. Now, you are marrying him and pregnant with his babies. I would have to say no. Pull yourself up or you are going to die." Turning around, she started down a staircase that would lead her to the bottom floor.
"Julianna! Please, help me!" Brea shouted as continued to struggle to pull herself up. She was almost there when a loud explosion spooked her and she lost her grip completely, plummeting back to the ground with a bloodcurdling scream. She rolled in a ball and hit the floor with a solid THUNK, passing out.
Julianna had heard Breanna scream and seconds later her body landed two feet in front of her, laying motionless, arms wrapped protectively around her stomach. Oh shit. Oh shit. She had honestly thought that Brea would be able to pull herself up.
"Brea. Brea." Julianna knelt and began to furiously shake her shoulder. "Wake up, damn you! Wake up!" She shrieked and began to search for a pulse. Nothing. "Please, wake up." She muttered, shaking her head as another explosion sounded. They had to get out of here, but nobody could know about this...no one. Grabbing Brea by the arms, she began to drag her out of the fort, but not through the front. She had to dispose of the body and claim that Brea was dead. Yes...yes, that would work. No one would know the difference. It only took her a few minutes to drag Brea into the woods, out of sight of everyone.
Brea groaned as Julianna lay her down on the forest floor and her eyes fluttered open for a brief second, staring up at the woman.
"I'm so sorry Brea, but this had to happen." She whispered and Brea's eyes fluttered close. Turning around, she made a dash out of the woods, trying to put behind her what she had just done. The only thing she worried about, was the babies...she hoped they hadn't been killed
----
Dom stood and burst through the front gate, followed closely by Neal and Kel. He searched around amid the flames and could barely make out a persons body, hunched over in a corner, motionless. He started towards the person.
"Brea!" He called and the person lifted their head and now he could make out straight red hair. Kneeling down, he took Julianna by the shoulders. "Where is Brea? Julianna look at me, where is she? Have you seen her?"
"I...I don't know. I don't know." She muttered, shaking her head. Dom groaned and picked her up, turning towards Neal and Kel.
"Get her out of here. I'm going to look for Brea." Neal took her by the arm and led the shaken Julianna out of the fort, but Kel hung back, apprehensive and biting her bottom lip. "Go, I will be fine." She nodded and started after her, but hung back at the gate. "Brea! Brea!" He shifted through boards, throwing them out of the way as he searched for his fiance. She just couldn't have disappeared like that. As Dom got ready to move another board, the mess hall burst into flames.
"Dom! You have to get out of there!" Kel shouted, waving him out. "Let's go!"
"No! Brea could still be here!" Dom shouted back, fiercely shaking his head as the sleeve of his shirt caught fire.
"Maybe she got out!"
"And maybe she is still here!"
"Domitan of Masbolle! Get over here, right now!" Kel shouted, and, seeing as his arm was in immense pain, he ran for the exit to meet Kel, who had to forcibly drag him away before the entire fort was swallowed up in flames.
"What if she was still in there, Kel?" Dom muttered, not wanting that to be true; he was oblivious that he was being forced to sit or that his sleeve was being ripped open so that Neal could examine the burn.
"I'm sure she got out just fine." Kel whispered, gripping his shoulder to tight, that led him to think that she didn't believe her owns words. "Brea...she is a smart girl, I'm sure she is fine."
"Gods Kel, I hope you're right." Dom whispered back, blinking back the tears in his eyes. One of his worst nightmares had come true all in a days work. Brea, was gone and more likely than not, she was dead.
----
That evening, the remaining soldiers and refugees that once called Haven their home, made camp right outside of the burnt down fort. The fire had long since burned down and they were just waiting until morning to start a search. Dom sat under a cover of trees, Mikol and Rebekah were just to the right of him, as sullen as he was.
Soon after dinner was over, which he didn't even touch and gave to a child that was complaining of hunger pains, he fell into a fitful sleep, with dreams about Brea that haunted him. She came to him, standing in flames, shock betrayal etched over her face that he didn't try more to save her. Others just showed her moving farther and farther away from him, the more he ran. As dawn approached, he finally drifted in a dreamless and semi-peaceful sleep. When as last, he awoke, the sun was high in the sky.
"Good to see you awake." Neal muttered as he came over to his cousin, handing him food.
"I could not sleep very well last night." Dom replied and turned, handing over his food to the child, who smiled and scampered back to his mother. "Not hungry," he explained to his cousins questioning look.
"Right..." Neal trailed off and went about replacing the bandages in silence. "While you slept, Kel sent in people to search the debris."
"And?" Dom tensed up, bracing himself for the news.
"I'm so sorry, Dom. There was no sign of her body." Neal focused all of his attention on Dom's burn, instead of looking up. "Kel even got in there and looked herself. We all did. There was nothing. Some of the other people are starting to think that there may be no remains."
"Stop saying that!" Dom roared and pushed Neal violently away from him, standing. "You don't know that! Brea could be alive and just waiting for us to find her! Stop speaking of her death!" Shooting a last deathly glare around to the people around him, he walked away into the woods.
Why couldn't they just try to be optimistic about the situation? Everyone was already condeming Brea to death when there was no body to be found at all. Well, damn them all. She wasn't dead...she couldn't be dead.
-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-
A/N: I'm guessing you all probably didn't like that ending. I'm very sorry, but it has been part of my ebil ebil plan all along. Now, before ya'll bring out the plans to come kill me, there is one more chapter following this one, along with a sequel I am planning. Sooooo, there you go, I promise, I will never abandon this story again.
-throws cookies and leaves- XD