Sabine took a deep but frustrated breath as Tristan blew past her into the office she had given him so he could perform his duties in peace. It was there he would hold small meetings, write correspondence, and review the laws of the planet in preparation for the (hopefully) unlikely event he would become Count.
"Tristan, I really must speak with you," Sabine insisted, following him into the office.
"And as I've told you a hundred times today, Sabine, I don't have the time," he replied, his face showing his irritation. "I've got a million things to respond to. You wanted me to review the military budget for the upcoming months, and I don't like changing plans. Whatever it is, it'll have to wait."
"It can't wait, you idiot," she snapped. "If I wait too long, then you'll find out about it soon enough."
Tristan shrugged. "Then what's the point in telling me now if I'll find out about it later? You've already said it's not a matter of planetary security so it's just going to have to wait."
Sabine was steaming. Smoke was almost quite literally coming out of her ears and nose. How dare he dismiss her like this? She and Tristan had never been the most conventional siblings in the world, but he had always made time for her when she needed him to. And now suddenly she wasn't good enough? His stupid letters and budget reviews were apparently more important than her.
"Fine, if you wanna act all high and mighty then go right ahead. I'm done with you." Spinning on her heel, she stormed out of the office, slamming the door behind her so hard she nearly caused cracks in the frame.
—
Tristan had all but forgotten about that morning's interaction with his sister when Ezra walked up to him later.
"Hey, Tristan, do you know what's up with Sabine today? All she's been doing is sitting in our room and muttering 'stupid brother' over and over again." Ezra scratched the back of his neck and winced. "Actually a few choice other words were thrown in there too, but I don't think I should repeat them."
Tristan sighed. "I don't know, man. She's been weird the last couple days. Kinda demanding that I pay attention to her, but I just don't have the time. I'm swamped right now."
"Yeah, I get that," Ezra chuckled.
"I don't know, maybe she's just being hormonal or something," Tristan said.
Before he could stop himself, Ezra said, "Well you know how pregnant women can be." When he realized what he said, he clamped a hand over his mouth.
The blood drained from Tristan's face and his eyes went wide in shock. "Sabine's…she-she's pregnant?"
Ezra cringed, internally scolding himself. "Yeah I uh, I kinda wasn't supposed to tell you that. She wanted to tell you herself."
"I gotta go." And with that, Tristan took off in the direction of the Countess's rooms.
He stopped in front of his destination, hesitating before he knocked.
"Sabine? It's me," he called out. "Can I come in?"
"Fuck off."
"I'll take that as a yes." Walking into the room, he was forced to quickly dodge a shoe thrown his way.
"I said fuck off. I know you're slow sometimes, brother, but I didn't think it was that bad."
"We need to talk."
Sabine made a noise that was a cross between a laugh, a scoff, and a snort. "Oh now you wanna talk? Now that it's on your precious terms?"
"Sabine." The way he said her name made her fall silent. "Why didn't you tell me you were pregnant?"
She scowled at him. "Well I was trying to earlier, but you were incredibly insistent upon not listening to me."
Tristan's eyes fell to her stomach as she stretched her arms above her while she sat on the bed. "You're really pregnant?"
She watched him eye her stomach like it was some foreign being—like there was some kind of alien growing beneath her skin. "Yes, of course I am. You wanna touch it?" she asked raising her eyebrows.
Tristan reached out a hand before quickly pulling it back, cradling it to his chest like he was afraid he'd get burned…Or maybe it was the other way around.
"I…I don't think I should," he said. "I might hurt it."
"Unless you plan on shooting me, I don't see the likelihood of that happening."
"Sabine, be serious," he scolded, his eyes wide with terror. "I'm the reason you lost the first one. I was careless and reckless and stupid. What if…what if I hurt this one too? I can't do that. I shouldn't even be around you right now!"
Sabine rolled her eyes and got up off the bed, putting her hands on her hips. "Oh quit being such a drama queen! I thought we were well past this. You were not the one responsible for me losing that baby. I've already promised my husband that I'd take it easier and make sure I don't do anything stupid like last time. Force, with the way you act, one would think you were the one who had the miscarriage, not me."
Tristanlooked at her, unable to say anything, his mouth agape. His sister moved until she was standing right in front of him.
She sighed. "I wanted to be the one to tell you I was pregnant because I knew you'd act like this."
"Like what?"
"All," she waved her hands at him, "gloomy and mopey. Instead of being happy for me that I'm having a baby, you're brooding and scared and making it all about you. I was gonna nip all this in the bud when I told you, but that plan obviously went out the window."
Tristan at least had the decency to look ashamed. "I'm sorry, Sabine. I am happy for you."
She snorted. "Try to be a little more convincing next time."
He took her hands in his and said, "I mean it. I'm so happy for you, I could shout it from the Compound rooftop. But I am also scared. And I can't help feeling that way. I'm just so afraid that I'm gonna mess up and make a mistake and something—"
"Nothing's going to happen, Tristan." The use of his actual name got his attention. "And the moment you start thinking the worst is when something will happen." Looking down at her feet, she sighed, her jaw twitching as if she were grappling with herself as to what she should say next.
"Look," she started, "what happened six years ago was horrible. It left both of us a little traumatized and scared. You think you're the only one who feels like that, Tristan…I'm terrified. I'm scared that I'll get attached and then it'll all disappear right in front of me again. I'm scared of actually having the baby. And then I have to be a mother and I don't know if I'll be a good one.
"But we can't live our lives based on fear," she continued. "I want children. Ezra wants children. And we're having this baby in less than seven months. Now you have two choices you can make. One, you can sit around in your office all day, keeping your distance from me and never getting to experience this momentous occasion in your big sister's life. Or two, you can get it the fuck together and be the happy, cheerful uncle waiting excitedly for his niece or nephew to enter this world. So what's it gonna be?"
Well when she put it like that…
A smile crept onto Tristan's face. "I'm gonna be an uncle," he whispered as if it were some secret between them.
She nodded encouragingly.
"I'm gonna be an uncle," he said a little louder, his smile growing.
Grabbing his hand, Sabine placed it on her still-flat stomach. There was no bump yet, no movement of any kind that could be detected even by the little one's mother. But that didn't mean it wasn't there.
For a second, Tristan froze and panic flashed across his face. The last time he'd come into contact with her abdomen, he was sending a fist flying through the air.
Sensing his panic, Sabine squeezed his hand. "See? Nothing to worry about," she reassured him. "You didn't hurt me or the baby."
"You're really pregnant," he said, awe coloring his voice.
She tilted her head and squinted her eyes at him. "That's like the third time you've said that. I may have to revisit that slow theory again."
Throwing his arms around her middle, Tristan scooped her into a giant bear hug, swinging her around in circles. She yelped, the hug catching her off guard.
"I swear, what is with men doing this and picking me up all the time?!" she complained half-heartedly.
"It's only because you're so small," he teased. "I can't wait to do that with my niece/nephew."
"I hope you get puked on," she retorted as he put her down. "In fact I should've puked on you."
Tristan laughed, keeping an arm around her shoulders, despite her fighting to push it off. "Thank you, Sabine," he said, his voice returning to a more serious tone. "Six years ago really messed with my head and you were the one who got me out of that original funk I was in. And now you had to do it again. I don't know how I can ever repay you."
"Oh I'll keep that favor in my debt," she told him conspiratorily. It was never a bad thing when her brother owed her one.
"Of course you will." He rolled his eyes before saying, "Things will turn out better this time, right?"
"Of course," she said. "Nothing's gonna happen." Pausing she strode over to the bedroom door and added a little loudly, "And with my dear husband always hovering nearby, what could possibly go wrong?" Yanking open the door, Ezra fell into the room in a heap with a loud yelp.
He chuckled nervously, staring up at the judging eyes of the two siblings. "Everything good here?"
Sabine raised an eyebrow. "You tell me. After all, you just heard everything we said."
"Okay okay, wait," Ezra held up his hands in a defensive gesture as he got to his feet. "I didn't exactly mean to listen in, it just sorta…happened?"
Sabine looked entirely unimpressed. Grabbing him by the face, she pulled him behind her.
"Brother, would you mind giving us the room? I have to teach my husband a lesson on why we don't eavesdrop on others' conversations."
"Don't have to tell me twice." Tristan was out the door so fast, he nearly had papers flying after him. He heard a loud thud followed by a gasp that quickly morphed into a moan and he shuddered, bolting down the hallway.
Quite frankly, he had already witnessed more than he ever wanted to in his entire life.
