Author's Note: Welcome new readers and thank you to those who continue to read! Sorry to post this so soon. I promise, there will be a few days between the chapters, which is why I am posting this now rather than later. Please enjoy this next chapter and please review! Remember, I own none of these characters. Enjoy!
Major Author's Note: Remember when I said awful things happen in this story? Awful things happen in this chapter. There is a death.
Chapter 5: Parabatai
The rest of the afternoon was spent having mindless conversations. Once Stephen came outside, Imogen saw his face and his watery eyes and demanded to know what transpired. Stephen loudly protested that nothing happened, nothing at all, it was just all the dandelions growing that made his eyes itch. The Circle came up anyway, as well as Stephen's feelings towards it. Imogen just rolled her eyes and claimed Stephen was just going through a phase with the "whole Circle business." Sooner or later, he would find his way. Stephen drank half a pitcher of mimosas and passed out with his head in Amatis's lap.
Later on, Stephen and Amatis left the Herondale manor and rode to the Fairchild Manor, which was less than two miles away. When they got there, the party was in full swing. Michael saw Stephen and greeted him with a hug, then introduced Amatis to Michael's wife, Josie, who was holding their son Jonathan. Luke came over and greeted Amatis. This was family; Stephen thought. Everyone was happy to see each other.
The patio door opened and Valentine walked out, carrying two drinks. He gave one to Stephen.
"You look like you need a drink," Valentine said.
"How can you tell?" Stephen asked.
"Luke told me you spent the day at your parent's house," Valentine said. "Your father… doesn't drive you to drink?" Stephen lifted his drink and poured it down his throat, prompting Luke to shake his head and Amatis to distance herself.
"Not my perfect father," Stephen said. Michael and Valentine laughed.
"As you can see, we're missing two of our own," Valentine said. "Maryse gave birth this afternoon to a boy she's named Alexander Gideon. Mother and baby are doing wonderfully. I saw them just a little while ago." Amatis eagerly clapped her hands as Stephen nodded.
"Stephen and I are having a little boy as well," Amatis said. Valentine's eyes got wide for the briefest of seconds.
"A boy?" he asked. "How exciting! Be certain to let Robert know. It's never too soon to start discussing parabatai."
Stephen spent much of his youth courting various boys who were available to be his parabatai, but it was the same as finding a wife. Stephen kissed many girls but had only loved Amatis, in the same way he trained with many boys but never felt for them the way he should feel for a parabatai. Amatis was the only person Stephen wanted to commit his life to.
"Of course, I'll let him know," Stephen said. "Though, picking a parabatai will always remain my son's choice. I don't want to meddle with his future."
"Of course not," Valentine said. "There are hors d'oeuvres over there, and cocktails on that table. Dinner will be ready soon." He patted Stephen on the back and walked over to Jocelyn.
As soon as he was out of ear shot of Valentine, Stephen pulled Amatis over to the cocktail table and mixed a strong drink.
"I wish you wouldn't drink so much," Amatis mumbled. "You spent most of the afternoon sleeping in a drunken stupor while I had to make excuses for you working too much."
"Yes, well, I wish you wouldn't tell everyone we're having a boy," Stephen said.
"It's happy news worth telling," Amatis said.
"Can you just keep things between us?" Stephen mumbled. "You should have told me we were having a boy before we went to my parent's. You should have let me tell Valentine. This is my son. I don't want suggestions on what to do with him." Amatis should have looked shocked, but instead, she appeared resigned. Stephen had been snapping at her this way for three weeks now.
"Fine. You're right, I'm sorry," Amatis said. "I'm going to talk to Jocelyn now." Amatis walked across the patio to where the wives had gravitated. Jocelyn was talking with Josie. Celine stood close by, wearing a dark blue dress. Her hair hung down, long and curling in the humid air. She looked barely interested in what Jocelyn and Josie were saying but she was smiling and nodding, pretending to care. Celine caught Stephen's eye and gave him a polite smile. Stephen blushed and looked away. He was no stranger to responding to a girl's touch, but the girl he responded to had always been Amatis. Stephen felt wrong, knowing something had happened between he and Celine, however minor that something was.
Luke was leaning against the porch railing, sipping a drink and observing the party. Stephen sidled up beside Luke, already feeling the calming effects of the alcohol in his body. Nothing looked as awful as it was once he had a few drinks, which is why Stephen tried not to drink. Alcohol allowed Stephen to dull the sharp edges of many of life's difficult times.
"Stephen," Luke mumbled. He glanced down at Stephen, frowned, and looked back over to the girls. If he heard the exchange between Stephen and Amatis, he didn't say anything. Luke lifted his glass and had a sip as his eyes studied the women at the far end of the patio. Stephen had a feeling Luke's mind was on the leggy blond in the blue dress.
"She's beautiful, isn't she?" Stephen whispered.
"She's beautiful, and taken, and pregnant, and…" Luke began. "She's everything, Stephen. I don't expect you to understand." Jocelyn looked over at Luke for a brief second, then turned back to the conversation.
"Well, if you loved her, why did you let her go?" Stephen asked.
"I didn't let her go," Luke mumbled, "She was already gone."
Stephen nodded. That seemed like a plausible explanation. Luke let Jocelyn go because she loved another man more than he. History was littered with stories about men whose affections were never returned. If Luke could sleep at night with that explanation, so be it.
"No, I think you let her go," Stephen said. "I think you put her on a pedestal and decided that you weren't worthy of her love. Then, when you least expected it, your parabatai swooped in and stole your girl."
"By the Angel!" Luke cried, grabbing Stephen by the collar of his shirt. Luke pulled his fist back, but Valentine was there suddenly, restraining Luke as Michael got between him and Stephen. Luke struggled, but Valentine put his arms around Luke's chest and his mouth close to Luke's ear.
"Temper, Lucian. Temper," Valentine whispered, "He's just a boy."
"I'm a bit more than just a boy," Stephen said. Luke cursed and struggled to free himself from Valentine's grip. Valentine smiled, though Luke couldn't see it.
"Now, Lucian, you remember what it was like being young and hot headed, don't you?" Valentine asked. "He's just seeing what you'll let him get away with." Luke pulled away from Valentine and stomped off the patio, headed for the lake. "That's right, walk it off, then come back for dinner." Luke yelled something and strode off into the shadows. "Stephen. I don't condone brawling at my parties."
"I was out of line, I'm sorry. It won't happen again," Stephen said.
"I have my doubts, judging by your performances at the Academy," Valentine said. He smiled again. Stephen spent his time at the Academy fighting anyone who wanted to fight. Valentine had been watching, after all. "Come and eat, son."
They went to a table and ate. Stephen sat beside Amatis, with Celine on his other side. Amatis didn't speak about the fight, in fact, she didn't say anything to Stephen, though no one picked up on the tension. Luke came back midway through the meal and ignored most everyone. Valentine made certain to ask Michael and Stephen about their jobs, so much so, there was little room for any other conversation.
After dinner there was dessert, then, more time for socializing. Amatis spent most of the evening with Jocelyn, Celine, and Josie. Valentine lit a bonfire on the banks of the lake and Stephen went down there with Luke and Michael. He apologized to Luke for what happened between them, though Luke brushed off the apology with a shrug and only said Stephen was right. He had waited too long, Luke said, and now, he was happy Jocelyn was with a good man she loved. Luke acted like nothing bothered him, though Stephen had his doubts.
After a little while, Celine went skinny dipping and pulled Luke in after her. Stephen sat by the fire and watched as Celine and Luke swam together as they had before, only now, they had more moonlight to play with. They dove beneath the water and broke the smooth surface again and again. There was nothing sexual about it, not this time. They were having fun together.
Luke called to Michael and Stephen, demanding they come swimming, but Stephen insisted that the water was to cold. Michael called him all sorts of humiliating names before going to dive into the water. He didn't swim for very long before climbing back out and drying himself beside the fire. Stephen couldn't help but look over the smooth, hard lines of Michael's body as he stood nude in the fire light. Michael was just put together better than Stephen. His muscles were more defined, his skin more tan and freckled than Stephen's was. Michael noted Stephen's attention and took his time pulling on a pair of pants.
"When do we work together next?" Michael mumbled.
"Tuesday night," Stephen said. Michael walked around the fire and sat beside Stephen on the wet grass. He smelled of lake water and smoke, mixed with a light tinge of alcohol.
"It was very cold," Michael said. He adopted the same position Stephen was sitting in, by resting his weight on his hands braced behind his hips, only, Michael laid his left hand over Stephen's hand.
"Not before dinner," Stephen sang, softly. Michael mumbled something unintelligible with a cheeky grin on his face, and then glanced up at the patio briefly. He lifted Stephen's hand and placed it over his own heart. Stephen felt smooth skin beneath his fingers, as well as a thin, inch long scar.
Michael released Stephen's hand, so Stephen guided Michael's fingers to the scar at his wrist and shivered as Michael ran his fingers over the still sensitive skin.
"I saw how you are with the vampires," Michael whispered. "You don't want to torture them the way the other guards do. You treat them like I treat the werewolves, like you did something awful to their kind and feel guilty about it."
"I can't talk about it," Stephen said. "I swore, Michael. That night never happened…" Though it had. Stephen saw it in his dreams every night.
Michael leaned close so that his breath felt warm against Stephen's cheek. "You aren't the only one who has killed for him," Michael whispered. Stephen turned to Michael, close enough to only see Michael's brown eyes gazing back at him. In that moment in time, something shifted in Stephen heart as he fell for Michael not as a lover, but as something just as close. Parabatai.
"Michael!" Valentine called. Michael sat back, quickly, putting some distance between he and Stephen. They both looked up to the porch, guilty as school boys, to see Valentine looking down on them. He was smirking. "Michael, I need to talk to you."
"Be safe," Stephen whispered. Michael shrugged, collected his clothing, and walked up to the patio. He disappeared inside with Valentine.
After a few minutes, Stephen walked up to the patio to find the girls entrenched in a conversation. Jocelyn had her hands lying on her stomach as she breathed in and out slowly and tried to keep up with the conversation. Celine smiled at him, as did Amatis. He returned their smiles, uneasily, and fixed himself another drink.
Michael walked out of the house, grabbed Stephen by the arm, and pulled him inside when the girls weren't looking. They found Valentine in the kitchen, holding a glass of something.
"Drink this. You're drunk and I want you sober," Valentine said. Stephen didn't want to be sober but Valentine looked tense, so Stephen downed the drink. Then Michael grabbed Stephen's hand and pulled him through the kitchen, down a hallway, and to a set of stairs they descended with Valentine. By the time Stephen was in the basement, he was feeling sober. Valentine led them into a room and turned on the light to reveal a small office with a desk and three chairs. Valentine sat behind the desk. Michael dropped into one chair, so Stephen sat in the other.
"You two seem to have hit it off quite nicely," Valentine said. Stephen blushed. "I guess there isn't a whole lot to do for 12 hours in a prison besides… getting to know one another."
"We were roommates at the Academy," Michael said. "You know how that goes." Valentine smiled and chuckled.
"Do I ever," he said. Valentine looked Stephen and Michael over. There was a devious look in his eye, which Stephen had last seen when Valentine mentioned that Celine was beautiful and his sister. "You're parabatai now."
"But Robert-" Michael said.
"Not officially. But you're a matched team of warriors, bound together in the name of one cause. Parabatai," Valentine said. Michael nodded slowly. The institution of parabatai was sacred. One couldn't just find another parabatai when the mood struck, though this union was more symbolic in nature. However, Michael felt the same thing Stephen did out by the fire. They each killed for Valentine. They were bound together, no matter what.
"As you wish, Valentine," Michael said.
"You can let go of my hand now, Parabatai," Stephen said. Michael released his hand.
"We're down here because you have each proven to me that you'll stop at nothing to accomplish what I ask of you," Valentine said. "You have scars that bind you together, and secrets to keep. You may think that what I am about to ask of you is wrong, that it shouldn't be done, but you're loyal. You won't disappoint me. I will ask you to do something, and you will do it. Right?" Valentine asked. Stephen and Michael nodded. "Good. I want you to steal the Mortal Cup."
"I beg your pardon?" Stephen asked.
"You want us to steal the Mortal Cup?" Michael said. "Valentine, you've got to be joking. There's no way…" Valentine folded his hands and regarded Stephen and Michael.
The Mortal Cup was kept at the Accords Hall. The Angel Raziel had given the Mortal Cup and Sword to Jonathan Shadowhunter, who used the Instruments to make the Shadowhunters. The Mortal Cup was kept in a shrine in the Accords Hall, surrounded by candles. It was said that any couple unable to bear children need only touch the cup, and would then be able to conceive a child. Stephen saw the Cup only twice in his entire life.
Each of the two known Mortal Instruments were considered sacred artifacts by the Nephilim. The Silent Brothers guarded the Mortal Sword, while the Cup was guarded 24 hours a day by two guards. Stephen knew this information because one night in the locker room at the prison two other guards were talking about how nice it would be to guard the Cup, rather than a bunch of Downworlders. Guarding the Cup was a simple job, in fact, the guard that was discussing it said that half the time, the men who's duty it was to watch the Cup were asleep on the job. None of this information would have been easy to come by, had Stephen and Michael not already worked with guards.
"How are we going to steal the Mortal Cup?" Michael asked.
"We're going to walk in and take it," Stephen said. "No one expects anyone to take it, so we will."
"It will teach everyone a lesson," Valentine said. He rubbed his hands together, the smirk returning to his face. "None of us are safe, not with our world the way it is."
"Why do you want the Cup?" Michael asked.
"That's information on a need to know basis," Valentine said. "Right now, Michael, you don't need to know."
They went back upstairs not long after and melted into the party as if they never left. Michael went over to Josie and took their son from her. He kissed the child on the forehead, then nuzzled his nose against his cheek, no doubt assuring himself that not everything had changed in the time that he had been in the basement.
Stephen poured himself a glass of water and looked over everyone. Everything that had gone on that day felt broken into reality and fantasy. Stephen's fight with Marcus felt vivid and real, as did the minor altercation with Luke. The conversation Stephen had with Michael and Valentine, where it was proposed that they steal the Mortal Cup, felt like a dream. Stephen pinched he back of his hand and felt it, though he wasn't sure what was real anymore.
"Stephen," Amatis said. "Stephen!" Stephen looked down to see Amatis beside him. She had a hand on her lower stomach. "I'm not feeling well. Let's go home."
"Let's," Stephen said. He didn't bother saying goodbye to anyone, he only led Amatis through the house and outside, where they prepared their horses and headed for home.
Midway through the ride home, Amatis became violently ill. When they got back to town, Stephen put their horses away and carried Amatis home. He was terrified for her, and didn't sleep for a long while after they lay down together.
When Stephen did finally sleep, he dreamt of a boy with dark hair and light eyes, who did one thing wrong and reaped the consequences of it tenfold. His family threw him out. He moved to London where he met a boy he came to care about, but the boy was ill and would almost die many times. There was a girl the boy could not love, and though he did eventually marry, he never did love.
"Stephen!" Amatis cried. Stephen opened his eyes and sat up in bed to find that dawn was still some way off.
"What is it?" Stephen asked. He turned on the light beside their bed and looked over to see Amatis pale as the pillow she laid her head on.
"I'm bleeding," Amatis said.
Stephen leapt from the bed and pulled the covers down. The sheets on their bed were stained with bright red blood. As he watched, Amatis's body became rigid with pain. She clenched her teeth to keep from screaming to loud. She didn't have to say a word, Stephen knew, instinctively, what labor looked like.
The next few minutes were a nightmare. Amatis was in pain and was hemorrhaging blood. Stephen dressed quickly and ran down the street to the home of a woman who was known to deliver babies and brought her back to the house. By then, Amatis's water had broken.
Less than an hour later, Stephen was holding Amatis's hand tightly as she delivered their son. The midwife wrapped the tiny baby in a blanket and said something, Stephen wasn't sure. She thrust the baby into Stephen's hands.
"Save my wife," Stephen said. "Please, save my wife." He fell into a chair, still clutching the baby in his hands. There was movement beneath the blanket, and when Stephen pulled the blanket aside, he saw that the baby was no bigger than his hand. It's little mouth and eyes were open and it looked up at Stephen, meeting his eyes. The baby took air in again and again, gasping in a way the vampire had, the night Stephen held it's fate in his hands. "Breathe. Just breathe. Please."
The baby, like the vampire, was too far gone. It gasped several more times, then expired minutes after it's birth, still in Stephen's hands. Stephen held his son close to his chest and cried.
The sun was just rising when the midwife finally left Stephen with grim news. The baby wasn't to blame for the miscarriage. It was Amatis's body who rejected the pregnancy. She lost a lot of blood, and more over, could no longer have children.
Stephen was sitting on the couch when Luke showed up. Stephen had sent him a letter (he couldn't recall what it said) but it didn't matter: Luke was there. Luke could handle this situation far better than Stephen could. Luke was Amatis's brother, Stephen was just the man who got her pregnant.
"What happened?" Luke asked. Stephen shook his head. "How are you? How's Amatis?"
"It's not really happening, is it?" Stephen asked. "Everything was fine. We were having a baby boy. Amatis saw her midwife just last week. Everything was fine. Now…" Nothing would be fine, not for a while. There was suddenly a hole in his life that Stephen had no idea how to fill.
Luke sat down on the couch beside Stephen and put an arm around his shoulders. "Where's the baby?" Luke said.
"Upstairs in the bathroom. I couldn't… I can't," Stephen said. He was certain his nightmares would be haunted by the sight of his dying son for many years to come. "Can you sit with Amatis for a little while? I have to… I need to go somewhere."
"Where?" Luke asked.
"I have to go to my parent's house. I have to ask them… to open the mausoleum," Stephen said. His eyes filled with tears as the dream became real. "I have to go, Luke. I really have to get out of here!"
"Go," Luke said.
Not long after, Stephen climbed onto Nicias's back and lit out for the Herondale manor. When he got there he left his horse to graze in the front yard and walked into the house. Marcus and Imogen were sitting down to breakfast when Stephen strode in "like he owned the place" as his father would put it. Stephen dropped into a chair across from his father and plucked a grape from the fruit centerpiece. He enjoyed his mother's shocked expression, because shock was better than pity, and there was time for pity later.
"We lost the baby," Stephen said. It was the first time he saw his father feel sorry for him.
Author's Note: Thanks for reading! Please review? Please? Here is a teaser to the next chapter:
"What did you do?" Stephen cried. "What did you do to him?"