20. Negative

Victor could immediately tell that the people of the Enchanted Forest understood little about science and medicine. This impression was verified in the cursed memories Regina gave him. Not knowing what a medical doctor would need to know, she simply gave him enough knowledge to cover just about everything. Of course he mostly ended up babysitting the comatose David Nolan, but Regina's foresight came in handy when she adopted Henry, or when she needed Victor to fake DNA reports on that heart Ruby found, or when Ashley finally gave birth to her child, or Katherine was found dehydrated and weak after whatever Gold did to her on Regina's behalf.

It came in handy now as he ran fertility tests for himself and Liza. Theoretically any of the nurses could have done this, but Victor couldn't bring himself to trust them with this.

The construction of their house was coming along nicely. August glanced up from his work and gave Victor a little wave. Now there was the embodiment of life from impossibility: a puppet carved from wood, made animate and eventually earned humanity. Seeing him made Victor feel a little more optimistic. After all, if August could live against all odds, then surely Victor and Liza could have a child.

"It'll be maybe another week," August told him, "and then you and Ruby can move in."

"I'll be looking forward to it."

So far the house had all the usual necessities: library, living room, bedroom, kitchen and an optimistic spare room. Victor would've loved to add a special place for Liza, since he had his laboratory, but being close to the woods was enough for her. Victor couldn't wait until the house was finished; he could already easily picture himself and Liza in the kitchen, himself in a nook drawing, Liza on her daily jog, her wolf form prowling the property...

It didn't seem possible that he ever felt despair so crushing he had raced to the docks hoping it would drag him down and drown him. Mostly that darkness was gone, but he could sometimes feel echoes of it. Like when he thought of all the possible things that could go wrong with a pregnancy.

Victor left August to work, ducking into his laboratory. The certainties of chemical formulas and reactions calmed him.

Ruby tried not to let disappointment sink in too much as she stared at the negative results of her latest pregnancy test. She tried reminding herself that they hadn't been trying that long... Still, it was hard to take comfort there when her two best friends became pregnant so quickly after getting married.

It didn't help that both Snow and Ella were so enthusiastic about the idea. She knew they were just being supportive, but it only made seeing those negative results worse.

"Ruby?" She froze, turning to face Snow. Her friend must have read something in her expression; she reached to embrace Ruby. "It'll take time. Be patient."

"Easy for you to say."

"Not really." Snow's smile turned a little sad. "I never told you this, but King George cursed me so I couldn't bear children. Eventually that curse was broken, but for a while, I thought I would never have children with David. I lost hope."

"I have to say," Ruby remarked, "hearing that you, of all people, lost hope is a little comforting." Snow gave her a playful shove.

Ruby flashed a smile, but when she was alone, it faded. The negative result floated back in her mind's eye and she found herself running to Victor. He helped her through her dark moments just as often as she helped through his.

He was in his lab, of course, and there was a flicker of concern on his face that grew stronger when Ruby wrapped around him. "I took a pregnancy test," she confessed, "and it was negative."

"Liza..." Victor pressed a kiss to his wife's forehead. It hurt his heart knowing she only took the test because she thought it might be positive. "I'm sorry." There was something in his voice that made it seem like he held himself personally responsible. Although medically they were both perfectly capable of having a child, those dark thoughts persisted.

Victor couldn't help feeling like it would be the height of irony for him to be unable to create this life; Ruby was sure her nature as a werewolf was preventing her from conceiving. And, of course, they both felt they already gained much more happiness than they ever deserved: friendships, people who accepted them and called them family, love...

Victor's lips moved down to Liza's cheek, her throat, and he nuzzled against her. His senses weren't as strong as a werewolf's, but he still felt more centered feeling her heartbeat and breathing in her scent. "Don't take the tests for a while," he whispered in her ear.

"Really?" She stared at him in disbelief. "You, a scientist, are telling me to not seek answers. It's going to bother you, not knowing."

"True," he agreed. His hand rubbed the small of her back and she relaxed into him. "But I never saw you coming, and look how well that turned out. I think not knowing may be the best thing for us in this situation."

"Keep life interesting?" she suggested with a smile. He returned her smile, brushing her lips in a kiss.

"Always."