"I'm not leaving you!" she protested.
"Theresa, please. For the baby's sake, go with Sirius. He'll keep you both safe until I can get a home for us."
"I don't mean to interrupt, but if we're going, we should go now," Sirius said.
"Sirius is right," Regulus said, kissing Theresa. "I'll see you soon."
"I don't want--"
"Don't argue with me, Theresa," he said harshly, making her wince.
"All right," she said, looking at Sirius and then to Regulus. "I love you," she whispered before she and Sirius left the building, leaving Regulus alone.
Regulus sat alone in the house he had bought three months ago with the money Sirius had loaned him. He had even gone and foundhimself a job at one of the Muggle newspapers. He was a damn good reporter, and his readers loved reading his work. He had refused the promotion to work as an editor of the paper. He would not risk his picture being seen on a frequent basis.
He had just sat down to write his letter to Sirius, asking for him to bring Theresa to him, when a familiar owl flew through the open window. He knew the writing on the envelope and he immediately began to worry. Something was wrong. He worried that Theresa's safety had been compromised.
Reading through the letter quickly, Regulus opted not to write another letter. Instead, he Apparated immediately to St. Mungo's, where he found Sirius waiting for him. He didn't like being there.
"Sirius," he said trying to mask the panic-stricken tone in his voice.
"Theresa is fine, the medi-witches are looking after her right now." Sirius said and put a hand on Regulus' shoulder. "Her water broke at about three o'clock this morning."
"And you just wrote me now? It's three o'clock in the afternoon, Sirius." Regulus said sharply.
"You were at work. Plus, the longer you are here, the more you are at risk. I figured if I waited until she was closer to delivery. Besides, the medi-witch isn't allowing anyone into the room. So, you'd just be waiting out here." Sirius said. He laughed. "Come on, cheer up, you're about to be a father."
"I'm not sure I'm ready to be a father," Regulus said dully. He walked with Sirius into a waiting area. "How has she been?" he asked.
"Theresa? Fine. She misses you. Talks about you all the time. How you two met, how she's looking forward to moving in with you and raising your baby together," Sirius explained. He smiled. "You do have everything ready to take her and the baby home, don't you?"
"Yes," Regulus said. He looked around.
There were people pacing, and other people rushing down the halls towards rooms. But none of them seemed too interested in the fact that he was there.
"Mr. Black," a woman said walking up to them, holding a small baby wrapped in a blue blanket.
Regulus stood up and walked over to the woman. He took the baby from her arms and looked at her. "How is Theresa?" he asked.
"I am afraid she didn't make it." she said, "But your son is perfectly healthy. He will have to stay overnight for observations, but otherwise you should be able to take him home tomorrow." She added.
Regulus just barely made it to the chairs to sit down before his legs gave way. Theresa had died in labour. He wasn't fit to be a father on his own. He couldn't be a father on his own. His son needed a mother. He couldn't raise a child on the run.
Sirius sat down beside his brother and put a hand on his shoulder. "I will be back in a second. I need to check on James and Lily. They know Theresa went into labour, and they'll want to know." he said, and left Regulus to his thoughts.
He'd lost almost everything because of his being on the run. He'd missed the last three months of Theresa's pregnancy. He'd missed being there with her like he wanted to. Now Regulus was left with a son he wasn't sure what to do with. He had done a lot in his past he wasn't proud of. A lot he wished he could change. But the two things he was proud of was being in love with Theresa and having a son. He just had to find a way to function without her while raising his son.
Sirius returned and looked at Regulus holding his son. "Figured out what you're going to do?" he asked, a forlorn look on his face.
"Talk to me, Sirius. Something is bothering you. Something more than you're letting on," Regulus said.
"Today is not a very good day, apparently. First, Theresa didn't make it, and Lily's baby didn't, either." Sirius said. He looked at the baby boy in Regulus's arms. "At least he did."
"Do Lily and James know?" he asked seriously.
"Not yet. I asked the medi-witch to let me tell them. I'm just not sure how."
"Don't." Regulus sighed. "I can't raise him on my own, Sirius. I can't protect him while worrying about the Dark Lord finding me. Give him to James and Lily. Bury their child with Theresa." He looked at his brother. "They can give him a better home than I can. Do whatever you have to to make sure that he looks like Lily and James, and when he's old enough, tell him the truth. That's all I ask."
"Regulus..." Sirius looked at his brother, "are you sure about this?"
"As sure as I will ever be. I've lost Theresa, I won't lose him too. I can't risk that." Regulus said.
He handed his son to Sirius and stood. "Take care of him for me as you took care of Theresa while I was gone."
"I'll send you photos of him, I'll keep you updated on him." Sirius said. He took the baby to James and Lily.
Regulus left St. Mungo's for his house. He didn't really want to be alone, but he had no choice. He sat in the nursery he had prepared for his son and cried. He had lost his wife and child in the same day. He knew he would not have been able to take care of his son on his own. He had done the right thing by the boy.
He picked up the Salazar Slytherin doll that lay in the crib and sighed before heading to his own room as the house darkened. Tonight, he'd have a hard time sleeping. He'd have the same childish nightmares he did when he was eight, the same ones Sirius protected him from. All he had was the stupid old doll to ward off those dreams. He'd lost everything else due to his choices.