These chapters keep getting longer and longer! I try to keep them short and sweet, but so much STUFF happens in this one!

Also, sunburn. On muh bum. But only on one side. I'm such a 5, sometimes. :D

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The Tenth

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After she had woken and could give her permission, the little old doctor named 2 convinced Pi to let him check her wiring for damage. She had acted the part of a modest, cautious young woman who knew the dangers of the world; and once again, those around her completely bought it. But truthfully, she was concerned about the state of her wiring and couldn't wait for someone to look in on it. Her leg felt numb, and she couldn't move it; and she had developed a tick in her right eye.

Most of all, with the kindly old man so close, she could tell best what sort of person he was. If he was strong or weak enough to suit her purpose.

The old man gently insisted that he meant her no harm, and that he was only concerned. So she finally reached to her side, undoing three brass buttons hidden cleverly beneath a fold of fabric. Her caretakers were impressed; the buttons had been hidden so well, they hadn't even been noticed before.

2 then peered inside her at the tangle of wires that made her function. But he did so with an objective eye, not even touching anything unless he had to. After a moment, he took hold of one wire, examined it, and then tugged gently on in.

"Did you feel that, Pi?"

"No, I didn't."

He nodded his head. "This red wire connects to your left leg; but I'm afraid it's come loose. That would explain why you can't move or even feel it."

"Can you fix it?"

"Well, certainly. I shall have to pop your leg seam so I can operate, but it's only a matter of reconnecting the wire, again. Even if it's been cut by one of the stones that hit you, it's still easily repaired. You'll be back on your feet in a day or two."

That was good news. As 2 was finishing up, he made a face and reached into her body cavity, pulling out a round, black object that glinted in the light.

"What's this…?"

"Oh, just a trinket of mine," Pi insisted, snatching it back. "It's important to me; I keep it close to my heart."

2 gave her a smile. "That's lovely, Pi. Where did you get it?"

"My, uh, father gave it to me, before he died." Not entirely a lie…

"My condolences. The rest of your family must be missing you terribly, then. We'll have you on your way home in no time, my dear. Don't you worry about that."

Pi smiled and nodded back. She was glad of that, but she didn't appreciate that 2 still treated her like a child. He was always handling her so delicately, just because she was a girl, she was injured, and she had an adorable angel face. Truly, at heart, she really was as young as she looked. But the craft the she dealt in wasn't for children; if she didn't act like the adult she felt she was, no one would ever take her seriously.

2 headed for the door, looking over his shoulder. "I'll be right back. 5, will you come help me with some things, or can I trust you to keep your shirt on in here?" he asked his son with a chuckle.

To this, 5 rolled his one eye. "If you want my help, you don't have to tease me," he countered glumly, and followed his father.

Pi laughed at them, pretending to be amused. Because it was amusing; she just didn't particularly care. Now that she was alone, she held the black onyx sphere in her hands and cleared her mind. First as a faraway whisper, and then as a solid presence, she heard and felt her master contacting her through the enchanted stone.

Oh, my dear Pi. I was afraid I had lost you. Delta is a fine disciple, but she is not you, my love.

"Yes, I live, Alpha," she answered in a whisper. "I've just gotten very lucky. The fifth clan hasn't been wiped out, like the others thought. All of them are alive, and a child is due them this month. They've rescued me."

This is excellent. How do they look? How strong are they?

"The leader is promising, but he seems tough to crack. The elder is strong, but also very weak; I don't know how much we could get from him, though."

And the others?

"Their woman is strong, but she's very heavy with child, and its weakened her. We'll have to wait and see about her. The doctors… I don't know. The old man is sweet enough, but he seems an upstanding and honorable man. As for his boy—"

Boy? Are there already children among them?

"Only two—twins. They're a resilient and intelligent pair, but their strength is of mind, not body. What we're looking for, I don't think those two could provide. The doctor's boy is grown, and very silly. I suppose he's fallen head-over-heels for me, the way he keeps looking at me. It's ridiculous."

Hm… Consider this boy more carefully, my pet. He sounds the most promising of all. But, keep an eye on this leader of theirs. I'll be watching, through you, as always. We will discuss this later.

"Of course, my love," she agreed, as the connection broke.

When she had her mind to herself again, she slowly considered the "strength" and "weakness" that Alpha had sent her looking for. Even though she was a faithful servant and never questioned her master's reasoning, it still confused her. For their purposes, strength was mostly a matter of body, and sometimes of mind, but mostly of body. Weakness of body was, well, a weakness; but Alpha also considered traits such as compassion, love, and clairvoyance to be weaknesses as well. Useful, in moderation, to ensnare a person, perhaps. But weak, all the same, and to be avoided when selecting a suitable sacrifice.

Pi had never agreed to Alpha's reasoning about weaknesses. When picking out a likely candidate, she found it best to find the ones who felt a great deal of compassion or love, or other strong emotions that her master liked to scorn. The true weakness of the people she targeted was their state of mind. What was their strength of body or spirit, if there was nothing to guard them? Experience had shown that such people made excellent sacrifices, and their substantial souls fed her coven's own strength for months.

Pi's work was cut out. But choosing the right member of this clan to drag home was going to be a tough one…

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It was one of those evenings that was just oddly quiet. Nothing was really going on in the library, but there was something electric in the air. It was the calm before the storm, and 7 wondered what that could mean.

Though she had a sinking, unexplainable feeling that it had something to do with the young woman in their care. Pi had been with them for four days now, and she seemed to be recovering nicely. She still couldn't walk on her left foot, and had to be helped around everywhere she went. She also insisted that everyone was treating her like a child, and that it offended her to no end. She was a grown woman, and wanted to be treated so.

But 7 couldn't take that seriously. Pi wasn't a child, but she certainly wasn't a grown woman. She couldn't have been more than 17 or 18, at heart. For that matter, no one else could seem to take her seriously, either. No one but 5, anyway. He was always happy to accommodate her; and it made his sister roll her eyes.

He's begging for trouble, she thought that night. All of them were together in the common room, as they always were in the evenings. Pi had recovered enough to join them, and was sitting on a pillow near the fireplace, where it was warmest. She was quiet, observing each of them closely. Until she tried to observe 7, and realized that she was being observed, herself; she turned her attention elsewhere.

She puts on a show, 10, she thought to her baby. But I don't think she's what she appears. And I think you sense it, too.

She also decided that a good policy would be to watch 6 a little more closely. He always seemed to know things before everyone else; and he had a natural talent for finding things that were hidden. 7 had underestimated those abilities once, and she would never fully forgive herself for it. In this instance, his insight could prove to be their most valuable asset.

He had always seemed to be nervous of Pi, from the moment he first saw her. He was morbidly fascinated by her, overwhelmed by curiosity, but terrified to get too close to her. This evening, he was boldly making an attempt to break through his fear and approach her. 7 watched, slightly amused, as her brother inched closer and closer to their guest over a quarter of an hour, still nervous, but needing to try. He came closer so slowly, Pi didn't even notice him until he had almost reached her. When she did, she gave him a sweet smile.

"I promise, I won't bite,"she teased him; she'd said this to him a lot over the past four days. She held out her hand to him, inviting him even closer.

Looking a bit cowed, 6 reached out to take her hand—it didn't look like he had much of a choice, now. He barely touched her, easing his inky fingers over hers, like a dog sniffing the hand of a stranger. The next second—it happened so fast that 7 almost didn't catch it—he jumped away with a cry of alarm, as if Pi's hand was scalding hot.

His unusually unusual behavior startled everyone out of their various quiet conversations. 9 hopped up from his place beside 7, and went directly to the aid of their little brother.

"6, what's the matter?" he asked, trying to gather the trembling boy into his arms. But 6 kept backing away, mumbling fearfully to himself, until her had hidden himself behind 8—the largest shield he could find. Once he was safe, he peered out from his hiding place and pointed a shaking, accusatory finger at Pi.

"She's no good!" he exclaimed. "She needs to go away! She needs to leave us!"

And that would just about confirm what 7 had feared. If barely touching her set 6 and his sharp senses off, the rest of them were more than prepared to believe that something wasn't right. She was sure of that. Her surprise was all the greater, then, when 5 dropped what he was doing and rushed to Pi's defense.

"6, stop that," he scolded, sort of shielding her from him. "Don't scare her like that. She hasn't done anything."

Before he had even finished speaking, 7 felt bothered enough to get up, slowly rising to her feet, trying not to topple over. Once she had steadied herself, she took a few steps toward her brother.

"5, maybe we should listen to him," she insisted sternly. "We all know he sees things a little differently from the rest of us; but when has he ever really been—"

A sudden sharp pain shot through her like an arrow, snatching her breath away. Her head began to spin, and her knees felt weak. Purely out of instinct, she threw her arms around her belly, an obviously pointless effort to shield the soul from what was hurting her so badly. As she fell to the floor, she tried to search through the pain for a source. Besides the sharp pain, she felt the soul struggling against her; it almost felt like it was screaming and crying, begging to be released.

Oh no…

She was immediately frightened; and the birth pangs hurt so much more than she had expected. 9 was beside her in a heartbeat, his strong arms holding her close, as she trembled and gasped for breath.

"7, what happened? What's wrong?" he asked. He sounded as terrified as she was, silently imploring her not to say what he knew she was going to say. She gripped his arm and gritted her "teeth", trying to fight back the pain enough to get a few words out.

"9… The baby's coming…!"

Even though she was still terrified, hardly able to move, he jumped right to action. He hauled her to her feet as gently as he could and steered her to the door, calling orders over his shoulder.

"2, go ahead and get everything ready—"

But the old man zipped right past them before 9 could finish speaking. Thank goodness.

"6, take the twins into the globe, and just stay there until you're sent for. And the rest of you, just hang tight. Everything's going to be okay, I promise."

7 tired her hardest not to pay attention to everything else around her; she just focused on putting one foot in front of the other until they were back in their bedroom. She was vaguely aware of 2 scurrying around the room, putting things in order; but mostly, she was aware of the bed. She fell back on the mattress, overwhelmed as another contraction wracked her. This was definitely worse than the first one. This time, she couldn't fight the scream that gathered in her throat.

"Ow! Hell—crap—Paracelsus—!"

She honestly couldn't think of a better expletive, than the name of the genius who had designed her to feel the pains of childbearing as fully as any human woman would have. A wave of mild relief followed as her husband fell beside her on the bed, supporting her head with one hand, directing her gaze directly into his.

"7, look at me, just look at me," he insisted gently, running his thumb along her face. "It's okay. Everything is going to be okay. Just keep breathing. Deep breaths—in, and out; in and out."

She did as she was told, amazed that breathing so deeply really did help, a little. She reached up and gripped his arm; he didn't flinch, but she couldn't believe that her tight grip wasn't hurting him.

"It's early," she gasped. "Why is it early?"

"I don't know."

"9, I'm scared."

"Don't be," he whispered back, nuzzling her face. "I'm right here. I'm not leaving you. I promise."

She never doubted that; but hearing it out loud in this moment was refreshing. The contraction eased as suddenly as it had come, and the pain lessened greatly, but it had exhausted her. She could barely move, and didn't care to. Her child's soul was still struggling, battling against her for its freedom. Why it had suddenly chosen to be merciful, she couldn't say; but she hoped, even though it was missing a week of development, that it was still strong enough to get out safely.

My 10, please be alright…

After a brief moment of deliberation, 9 climbed all the way onto the bed. He sat behind her and gently pulled her up, so she was sitting at an angle against him. She rested her head against his shoulder, and he wrapped his arms around her, holding her safe. For a lovely moment, the pain was completely bearable. Then he reached down, feeling for her catch, and opened her up.

"What are you doing?"

"We have to get 10 out… But you're not going to like it. I need you to trust me, and I need you to trust 2, okay?"

7 didn't like what that meant at all. She had a very bad feeling that it had something to do with…

2 finally turned to face them with a serious, solemn look on his face—and the enigmatic talisman in hand.

"Let's get this child into its body, and quickly."

The sight of it filled 7's mind with nothing but panic. She understood plainly what they meant to do: they were going to pull the soul into the talisman. That horrible thing that did nothing but destroy anything it touched. She wouldn't allow that thing or any of its trappings anywhere near her. And the fragile soul of her only child? Never!

"Keep that thing away from me!" she screamed, struggling to get herself and the struggling soul as far from the talisman as possible. "I won't let it near my baby!"

"7, please stop! You'll hurt yourself," 9 pleaded, trying to restrain her. She turned wildly to face him, desparate for another solution.

"Don't make me do this! There must be another way—there has to be!"

"There isn't," he answered solidly, griping her by the shoulders. "There is only this. This is the only way."

Adrenaline crashed again and she fell back against him, burying her face in his arm as she began to cry.

"Don't make me do this. Please don't make me do this. I'm so scared…"

9 held her close and tight, safe even from the talisman. He rubbed her back and rocked her a little as she cried, trying to calm her.

"7, listen to me," he whispered. "I am so sorry it has to be this way. I know that you're afraid, but you must trust me. Please, just trust me."

He was right. When had he ever tried to bring her to grief? Even if she couldn't trust her friends, her family, or even her own eyes, she could always trust her 9 to lead her safely. And her body sent her a warning that she had no time and no other option, anyway. A boil was rising in her, another contraction about to overtake her. But the rest of her was still terrified.

She felt 2's rough, chilly fingers on her shoulder—the oldest, dearest presence she had ever known.

"We know what we're doing, my dear. We won't let it hurt you, or 10. We promise you."

7 took in a deep, shaking breath, and slowly, carefully sat up. She still trembled with fear; but she bravely opened her chest, exposing her wiring, as well as the expanded, balloon-like container that held 10's struggling soul. Only her husband and father could she trust with this view.

"Do it quickly, like you said."

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5 did not like his assigned task of "hanging tight". The baby was coming a week earlier than it was supposed to; his sister was in tremendous pain; and his father and best friend had to keep her calm and deliver a baby at the same time. How could they not need his help? He wanted so badly to be with them, to be useful in this uncertain hour.

Within minutes, though, he was glad that they had left him behind. For nearly half an hour, 7's screams of pain echoed down the hall and into the common room like a malevolent ghost. The horrible, unbelievable sound sent chills down the spines of everyone present—even 1, who had never cared a spec for 7's feelings in the past, looked horrified. How could something as pure and innocent as a baby cause its own mother so much heartache?

5 envied 6 and the twins, safe in the globe. They were deeper into the building, behind thick walls, in a closer space that didn't echo as badly. If they could hear the screams and occasional pleas for a merciful death, it was as a whisper, or a dream. He had wondered why they, specifically, had been sent away; he now wished that he had been sent with them.

He supposed he had a choice to get up and leave, himself. But he chose to stay put, to remain on hand and in plain sight, should he be needed. He sat by the fire, beside beautiful Pi, and stared into the flame, trying to ignore the echoes.

"Why don't you leave?" she asked him after a while. "It's clear this is bothering you."

"I can handle it," he answered. "I've handled worse. If they need me, they'll know right where I am: waiting patiently."

"What if they don't need you?"

"…Then I'll still here, waiting."

"Huh. You're a good brother."

5 gave her smile. He didn't care what everyone else said about being irrational, his heart fluttered like a butterfly. She saw that he was a good person, and she approved. 6 had been wrong about her. Pi was good, just like the rest of them. What on earth had gotten into him?

He decided not to think about his dopey brother, and concentrated all the harder on the fire. He drifted off into a dream without realizing it; in his dream, he woke and found himself staring at the same fire, in the same position he had fallen asleep in. He looked up and gazed around. Everything seemed eerily darker than he remembered.

And it was quiet…

"Pi, something isn't right…"

"I know," she answered beside him. "7 stopped screaming a little while ago."

Once again, his heart fluttered with excitement. "That means 10's here," he exclaimed, and ran out the door. Even as he ran, he had a terrible feeling of foreboding. Something still wasn't right.

He skidded to a halt before the bedroom door, which was wide open, practically inviting him inside. But what awaited him was nothing short of a nightmare. 2 was kneeling on the floor with his head in his hands, sobbing uncontrollably. On the bed, 9 cradled 7's limp body in his arms, a blank, stricken look on his face.

She was gone. And she had taken the child with her—

He woke with a start, his heart racing. For a long, frightening moment, he wasn't sure where he was. But clarity slowly returned, and he finally realized that he had only been dreaming.

"How long has it been…?" he wondered.

"An hour or so," answered Pi's sweet voice. "You were so quiet, I figured you'd fallen asleep."

Quiet… It was rather quiet. Fear gripped him.

"Pi, 7 isn't screaming."

"She only stopped a minute or two ago. Are you alright, 5? You look like you've seen a ghost."

He dearly wanted to blurt out all the horror of his dream, pour his heart out to her. Surely, she would understand. But before he could, he heard footsteps in the hall. They both turned in time to see 2 stagger wearily into the room. He leaned against the wall and sank to the floor.

His sudden reappearance raised everyone's curiosity and anxiety. But for the moment, he looked entirely too exhausted to say anything.

"I… am never delivering another baby for as long as I live," he stated slowly. "5, if they ever have another child, it's all up to you; so you'd better study that book. That said, 9 would like to see you. I don't know how 7 feels about visitors presently, but 9 needs you."

She was alive. She was alive, and it really had been nothing more than a bad dream, influenced by fear. Exhaling a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding, he patted Pi on the shoulder.

"I'll be back," he said.

"Take your time," she agreed, nodding her head.

5 had found sheer horror in his dream; he couldn't imagine what he might find behind that door in real life. Once again, he found it wide open, beckoning him gently, almost cheerfully inside. 9 and 7 were sitting in the bed; she was leaning heavily against him, while he held her steady in his arms. Their gaze was directed downward, on a dark bundle of blanket she held to her chest.

9 noticed him at once, glad that he had come so quickly, and gave him a grand smile. "Come on in, 5. Come and meet your niece."

He was so relived, he couldn't quite move for a second. "Niece… It's a girl, then?"

9 nodded wordlessly and gestured to his brother to please, come inside. 5 willed his feet to move, and he came to sit on the bed beside them. He couldn't really see 10, swaddled in a blanket, with her face snuggled against her mother's chest; but he imagined she must be beautiful.

"How are you all doing?"

"Tired," 9 answered with a sigh. "Very tired. But… alright."

"I've never known a pain as extraordinary as that," 7 commented quietly, not looking up at all. "And I know a thing or two about pain, myself. But this…"

She smiled down on her newborn daughter, tenderly stroking her soft little face.

"Her eyes are squeezed shut, and her eyebrows are all scrunched up, like she's thinking hard about things," she said with a soft laugh. "I'd love to know what she's thinking about… If she realizes how much like her daddy she already is…"

In a few words, worth it. Absolutely worth it.

While she continued to marvel at her child, 9 turned his attention to his brother.

"5, a lot's happened today."

"Your wife just had a baby."

"I have to stay here, with them; for the next few days, they really need me. And I need your help."

Oh yes, he had forgotten. It seemed impossibly long ago; but 9 had chosen him over everyone else to be the clan's Beta—the fearless leader when the leader wasn't able to lead. He had led them successfully once. In this moment, when his best friend needed him so much, he actually felt confident in his own abilities.

"What do you need from me?"

"Just a few things, for now. Go to the globe and get 3 and 4; they have to meet their sister. Let the others know how everything's turned out; they can probably come and see us in the morning, but… Well, we'll see how that shakes out. And Pi."

"What about her?"

"How has she been since, you know, earlier?"

"Oh, that thing with 6? She's fine; her same, sweet self."

"I want you to keep an eye on her for me. When 6 acts like that—"

"Don't worry about that; it was probably nothing."

"Last time it was 'nothing', it turned out to be a whole lot of something. I don't know what happened with him earlier; but he's never been wrong in the past, and I'm not going to ignore him now."

5 had really hoped that everyone had forgotten about it by now; but he should have known better than to hope for that from 9, who never forgot about important things. Arguing was pointless now, so he nodded his head.

"Alright, I'll keep an eye on her."

"Not too close of an eye. Just make sure she doesn't get into any trouble."

"Of course."

"And don't let her get anyone else into trouble, either."

"She wouldn't do that on purpose."

"…If you say so," he said lowly. Perhaps he also sensed that arguing was pointless, because he then dropped the subject.

"Hey, I'll go get started on everything," 5 said helpfully, and stood up. "I'll go get the twins."

""I can't say we're not excited to see them. Thank you, 5, for everything."

"I'm your brother. It's what I'm here for, he insisted as he walked out the door. As he headed toward the globe, something amazing struck him:

Since they had found Pi, he hadn't felt jealous once.

I hope that 2 didn't mean what he said, about never delivering another child, he thought, feeling sort of light and really happy. I don't know if I could deliver my own child all by myself…