Heyyyyyyyyyy! I'm back! Took about a year off to focus on school. I graduated, moved away from home for university, completed a semester, and now I am taking some time over the winter break to do some more writing that I've been itching to get to. We are now beginning the Apocalypse storyline, though I am sorry to say that chapters will not be coming all too quickly. I wanted to at least get a start on it before Phoenix comes out. Alright, my lovelies, here's the long awaited chapter 44!

July 17th 1983

Laurien gently moved back and forth in her rocking chair, being careful to not rock too forcefully and accidentally spill her tea. She took a slow sip from her cup as she focused on the still scenery before her; the lush green forest behind the barn, the cloudless blue sky, and the sprinkling of summer flowers peeking out from amongst the grass. This was how she had been spending most of her mornings lately, sitting back and listening to the wind whispering softly as it wove through the trees. She rested her cup back down upon the cloth she had placed atop her swollen stomach. It had turned out to be the perfect perch for placing objects, especially when eating. It had always been an aspect of the pregnancy that Erik had found quite amusing. Laurien would look up every now and then from her snack, and find him just looking away with a smirk on his face.

It had been a difficult past couple of weeks. Discomfort had ruled the majority of Laurien's days, as the baby didn't seem to be too happy of late. Her due date was fast approaching, and Laurien couldn't wait to just get it over with already. Only a week ago, she had been put on partial bedrest, but even in that short amount of time, she found herself becoming a little stir crazy. Her mind tended to drift to odd places when she was alone in their room, and to prevent this, Erik had kindly moved the bed closer to the window so that she could sit with it open and take in the rustling branches of the trees. Even with this, she still looked forward to her small allowances of going to sit on the porch in her rocking chair for a small change of scenery, seeing as there were only so many times that one could look out the window or reread the same collection of books before going a bit insane.

She leaned back in her chair, a smile forming on her lips as she spotted Nina running out from around the corner, followed a moment later by a small herd of deer. Ever since she was born, Nina had a special relationship with animals. When Nina was a baby, Laurien and Erik would come into her room in the morning and occasionally find a row of woodlarks perched upon the railing of her crib. It was an alarming development at first, with both parents wondering as to how the birds had gotten into the room, seeing as the window had been closed when they had put Nina to bed, but they had eventually gotten used to it.

When Nina wasn't outside playing with her friends, or at school, she was in their master bedroom, drawing pictures or playing with her toys as she kept Laurien company. In the evenings, Laurien had made a habit of reading aloud a chapter or two of a book of Nina's choosing before bedtime. At that moment, they were about half way through The Hobbit, which Laurien had been impatiently waiting to read to Nina for quite some time. Her daughter had taken a great liking to Mister Bilbo Baggins of Bag-End, and would sometimes pretend that her room was her own version of a Hobbit hole. As a result, she kept it very tidy with all of her belongings in their preferred spot, and she was always very hospitable whenever visitors came around for afternoon tea.

The end of each chapter would be followed by a myriad of questions. With Nina's gifts, the talking animals in her books were not such a peculiar concept to her as they were to everyone else. Laurien found herself needing to explain as to why the Pevensie children had found it so alarming when the beavers spoke to them for the first time. The forest spanning behind their house had been designated as their own little piece of Narnia, though without any lions, as Nina had mentioned with a small disappointed sigh. Laurien had made the mistake of noting that there were lions in the Warsaw Zoo, which then prompted Nina to sneak the subject of the zoo into completely unrelated conversations as a way to suggest that they should go. Laurien was sure she was right in suspecting that Nina only wished to go to the zoo to convince one of the lions to escape and make the trek all the way to the forests of Katowice.

Katowice was not the first place they had settled in after Erik had visited her home in Ottawa. After a few years of building a life in Bern, Switzerland, things began to get uneasy when they started to notice an unusually high amount of odd behavior occurring in their neighborhood. A series of distinctively dark vans sightings whenever they were out for errands, the odd individual staring at the house for well over the acceptable amount of time, and the tipping point, a break in where nothing was taken, but their home office had been completely ransacked and torn apart. They assumed whoever it was would have been searching for documents that could have given away their true identities.

Erik had then suggested Poland, and considering the rather unlikely chance that the Americans would risk snooping around a Soviet territory for their sake, Laurien had agreed. They had settled on the town of Dąbrowa Górnicza, just outside Katowice, moving in just in time for the execution of the serial killer Zdzisław Marchwicki. Laurien made sure to swiftly change the channel to avoid every newscast reminding them of the gory details of his crimes.

Erik quickly found work at the newly opened steelworks factory on the other side of town, and once Nina was old enough to go to daycare, Laurien took up a position in a clinic. Through being the clinic receptionist, she was able to quickly redirect those who came in for bullet or shrapnel wounds, mostly protesters, back home until she could visit later that day if it wasn't direly urgent. The head doctor, while very friendly, was a devout communist, and would have reported them to the police in a heartbeat if he'd seen to them.

Poland was beautiful, filled with friendly and dependable people, but like all other countries, it was not perfect. They quickly became aware of the many issues which made themselves evident within the first few months of them living there. Foreign debt was high, and to compensate, the government had raised the food prices astronomically. Newspapers were almost constantly covering some kind of protest which usually resulted in many casualties, some of which hit rather close to home. A little less than two years ago, there had been a strike at the factory where Erik worked, done in retaliation for a large number of Solidarity union leaders being arrested and Martial Law being declared over Poland.

Laurien had been watching a show in the living room late one evening, only half paying attention to the people on the screen as Erik talked quietly on the phone. It had been almost an hour since he'd left halfway through their show to pick it up, and from what she could tell from his murmurings, what he was hearing from the other end wasn't anything good.

"Was that Feliks?" Laurien asked as she entered the kitchen once he'd hung up, more as a conversation starter than a real question. She knew that the anxiety stirring in Erik's chest could only have been set in motion by their dear friend who would have made any revolutionary proud to have him on their side.

Her husband nodded, running a hand over his mouth. "They're going to halt work tomorrow and block off the entrances from the inside until the union leaders are released."

"And what are their plans for fending off the military when they come to kick down the door?" Laurien had countered, raising an eyebrow.

Erik sat still at the kitchen table, debating an answer in his head with a worried look on his face until Laurien cracked a small smile.

"You never could resist a little anarchy, could you?"

A grin tugged on Erik's lips before Laurien continued, sliding onto his lap. "I'll pack you some extra food for however long you'll be there for, but…" She reached up and gently gripped his chin, keeping his gaze on her. "If they storm the factory, you do whatever you can in your power to get back home. We can't afford for you to get arrested."

Erik paused, then nodded. Satisfied, she pulled him closer and gave him a lingering kiss before releasing him to get together some supplies for the morning.

Laurien and Erik barely slept that night, as it seemed that the anxiety was mutually shared. When dawn broke, Erik made them all poached eggs with some bacon they'd recently received as a gift from a grateful mother whose son Laurien had patched up a few weeks back.

Nina had been happily chirping away about how she was going to bring in a bird's egg she'd found to show-and-tell when Erik looked at his watch and stood up. "Sorry, liebling, I need to get going."

"Lunches." Laurien reminded him as he walked right past the fridge, only to have him spin around and then grab the brown paper bag from within.

"Thank you." He said, lifting the bag.

She followed him to the front door, noting that his hand fidgeted with his keys as he turned to face her. "Are you going to be alright while I'm gone?"

"Of course." She replied, before drawing him in close and whispering in his ear. "But I'll be impatiently awaiting your return."

She felt him smile against her cheek before wrapping his arms tightly around her waist and kissing her deeply on the lips. She lifted her hand and cupped the back of his neck, reveling in the waves of affection seeping into her skin.

"Ew." They parted as the sound met their ears, only to turn and see Nina standing upon one of the couches' cushions with a grossed out look on her face.

"Oh, please, Nina." Laurien blushed, rushing over to her daughter and sweeping her off the couch and into her arms. She then carried Nina back over to Erik before they each gave her a massive kiss on both of her cheeks.

"Hey!" Nina exclaimed, her nose scrunching up as she tried to cover her face with her hands.

"What? You don't like kisses?" Erik asked, smiling his signature toothy grin. "Since when?"

Nina shrugged, before letting out a big yawn. "Since yesterday."

Erik's smile faltered a bit. "What happened yesterday?"

"Well, Nikola and I were playing on the playground at lunch and Max kissed me under the slide."

"What?" Erik asked, alarmed.

"Wait." Laurien interjected, a bit calmer. "Which Max is this? Nowak, or Bandura?"

Nina pondered for a moment. "The one who is allergic to peanuts."

"Ah, Max Nowak." Laurien announced, nodding her head as she turned to Erik. "You remember, he was the kid who climbed up and got Nina's bear out of a tree when she threw it up in the air and it got stuck. Sweet kid."

Erik sputtered, staring at her wide-eyed. "I don't care how sweet he is; no boy is allowed to kiss our daughter."

"I know, I know." Laurien relented.

Erik turned back to their daughter. "Nina, next time he tries to kiss you, you have my full permission to smack him."

"Henryk, they're six."

"Still." He reasoned, winking at Nina when he thought Laurien wasn't looking.

"Oh, you're going to be late, darling." Laurien told him after checking the clock on the mantelpiece. "And we need to get you ready for school, Nina. Run upstairs and get dressed, okay?"

Once she was placed back on the ground, Nina went towards the stairs, before stopping and dashing back to hug Erik around the middle. "Have a good day, liebling." He murmured, kissing her on the head before she then disappeared upstairs.

Laurien gave Erik one last kiss before letting him go. "Have a fun time, Mr. Gurzsky." She called from the doorway as she watched him wave and then drive down the long dirt driveway leading away towards town. She couldn't help but be a little bit worried about the outcome, but then again, worrying never amounted to much more than an upset stomach.

Erik didn't come home that night as was expected, and Nina slept in his and Laurien's bed that night, snuggling in close to Laurien as they both listened to the croaking frogs outside their window. A visit from Mrs. Nowakowski, the wife of another steel worker, at the clinic the next day informed Laurien of the attempted storming of the factory earlier that morning, where one hundred workers were arrested.

"But don't you worry, dear." Mrs. Nowakowski confided to her in a low voice, leaning slightly over the counter. "I've been to the precinct, Henryk and Jan were not among them."

Laurien breathed a sigh of relief before thanking her and letting her know that the doctor was ready for her. Henryk and Magda Gurzsky were her and Erik's 'new life' names, though it had taken a bit of time to ingrain the change into both of their minds. Even around the house, they had to abide by their new names, so as not to risk Nina getting confused and letting slip their real names to someone in passing. Laurien would be lying if she said it didn't bother her, their own child not knowing their real names, but it was something she'd have to live with until they were truly safe once more, if that were ever to occur.

Once back home with Nina that evening and knowing that Erik and the workers' food would be dwindling, Laurien gathered together a sack, filling it with some bread that she had waited outside the bakery for over two hours to get a few days ago, some more apples, and jar of homemade blackberry jam. With Nina safely tucked in the back seat of the car, Laurien drove to the outskirts of the factory property and parked in the woods. They both snuck toward the crest of the hill before it led down to the factory and waited. From afar, she could see a small group of soldiers, equipped with a helicopter hovering above and men at all the exits. She took out her pair of binoculars and took a closer look at the structure of the factory, wondering about the best way to sneak the food into the factory.

"Is Papa in there?" Nina asked in a hushed voice, looking curiously over the crest of the hill with wide blue eyes.

"Yes, misiu. He's in there with your uncles, Feliks and Anatol."

"And we are giving them the food?"

"If we can." Laurien responded, biting her bottom lip as she stared down at the chimneys that no longer billowed with their usual smoke.

A slight chattering to her left drew Laurien's attention away from the factory. She looked back and spotted a quite sizable rat milling about the roots of one of the trees in search of food. Laurien observed him for a few moments more before turning to her daughter. "Nina, you wouldn't happen to have any rat friends down there, would you?"

Nina frowned, looking down the hill. "Maybe."

"If I were to send the sack over there, could some of them carry it the rest of the way to Papa?"

Nina pondered upon this for a moment, reaching out across the field with her mind. "Mmm, they could do it," She finally said, a small smile appearing on her round face. "And for a bit of bread in return?"

Laurien laughed. "Yes, of course."

"Then they will do it."

"Excellent."

Nina pointed out the small vent where Laurien would levitate the bag to, and Laurien began her feat, moving it slowly along, so as not to draw attention to it from the soldiers. It took a better part of ten minutes for it to finally reach the vent, which Laurien then flipped open from afar, and tucked the bag in for the hand-off.

Nina watched unblinkingly next to her, her eyes becoming impossibly blue as she concentrated. A few minutes later, she let out a loud exhale and turned to Laurien, beaming. "Mission accomplished."

"Oh, kochanie, thank you!" Laurien exclaimed, reaching out and pulling Nina into a big bear hug. She ruffled the knitted cap upon her head, making Nina giggle as it made a mess of her brown hair beneath. "You did such a good job! I'm so proud of you." Nina scrunched up her nose as she tried to fix her hair. "But Mama, my friends did all the work, not me." "Well, you asked them very nicely, and that's why they did it." Laurien reasoned in a matter of fact. "But please let them know that we appreciate them helping us, and that they are welcome anytime for a slice of cheese." "Oh, they'd like that." Nina announced with big round eyes filled with excitement. Laurien chuckled and glanced back at the factory, taking one last look at where she knew her husband to be, before she lifted Nina up off her lap in a big swooping motion. "Alright, it's getting cold. Let's go home."

The next few days were tortuous. On the sixteenth, the Polish army and police tried to disperse the workers at a neighboring mine that was also on strike, leading to a shooting that killed nine workers and injured many others. At the clinic, Laurien had her hands full as she tried to help the steady stream of people coming in with bullet wounds. There wasn't any point trying to be discrete about it now, they wanted the government to know what had happened and to see the resilience of the people they had wronged and tried to silence.

Laurien arranged for one of the other mothers at Nina's school to look after her as Laurien worked late. The clinic was bursting with patients and policemen, and to top it all off, the paperwork was monstrous. Over the radio, they'd heard that the workers at the steelworks factory had given up after the army showed up with tanks. Hundreds had been arrested, but she could only hope that Erik was not among them.

Eventually, Laurien was able to leave to pick Nina up and take her home. Nina slept the entire way back in the car, and not wanting to disturb her, Laurien carefully carried her in her arms to the house. Once she'd opened door, she was met with the familiar presence that blossomed a warm flame in her heart. Erik swiftly stood up from his preferred armchair in the living room once she'd locked the front door and he quietly made his way to them.

He wrapped his arms gently around her and Nina's sleeping form, giving Laurien a lingering kiss as he stroked their daughter's hair. Nina stirred a bit at his soft touch, but continued to snooze in their now combined embrace.

"I'm just going to get her tucked in, and then we can talk." Laurien whispered, reluctant to leave his warmth.

Erik nodded, his hand coming up to caress her cheek one last time before she climbed up the stairs with Nina in her arms.

Laurien slowly removed Nina's boots and her jacket before pulling the covers up to her chin. She kissed her on the forehead and crept from the room as quietly as she could, closing the door behind her as she left.

A warm body pressed against her back just as she removed her hand from the doorknob, causing her to instinctively melt back into him. Strong arms wrapped around Laurien's figure and held her tightly as Erik nuzzled his face into the crook of her neck.

She sighed quietly, grasping the arms that held her. "I've missed you."

"I've missed you too." He murmured into her collarbone, his hands beginning to roam.

"Come on." Laurien said, turning around in his embrace to face him before grabbing the lapels of his shirt tightly in her hands. "Let's take this elsewhere, shall we?"

His eyes glinted, allowing her to steer him back to their room.

Laurien smiled to herself upon remembering the memory, though her smile soon faded as she spotted an unfamiliar car making its way down the dirt road leading to the house, leaving a cloud of dust in its wake. She watched as the rusted red car puttered to a stop near the barn where they kept the chickens, most likely causing a ruckus within from the noise and proximity.

Laurien slowly raised herself up from the rocking chair, eyes never wavering from the figure exiting the car. She slowly descended the steps, her hand clutched protectively over her stomach as she approached.

"Hi."

It was a simple greeting, though it still struck Laurien as rather odd in this situation. It wasn't exactly what she'd expect one to say after being apart for over a decade, but what really was the proper thing to say?

"You alright?" Laurien asked tentatively.

"Yeah." Sera responded before nodding towards her stomach. "I see you've been busy. Look about ready to pop."

"If only." Laurien gave a small chuckle to suppress a wince at the wording, her hand unconsciously smoothing the material of her shirt upon her stomach. Her fingers lingered over a leaf embroidered into the fabric, the result of another hobby she'd taken up since becoming pregnant. "I've still got about a month to go."

Just then, Nina came running around the house again with the deer still in tow. "Nina, come here, please." Laurien called out to her before she could disappear again. "There's someone I'd like you to meet."

Nina cautiously walked towards them, leaving the deer to graze as they waited, and took Laurien's outstretched hand as she introduced her. "This is your aunt, Sera."

Nina frowned, eyeing Sera as she kept close to Laurien's side. "Like a real aunt, or like Aunty Lidia?"

"Real aunt." Laurien clarified before making a split decision. "Sera is Mama's sister."

Sera raised an eyebrow is response which she hoped that Nina hadn't seen, but Laurien tried to shrug it off before beckoning to the house. "Would you like to come in?"

Sera nodded tentatively, seeming nervous. "Yes, thank you."

Laurien turned back to Nina, pushing a strand of hair behind her ear. "You can keep playing with your friends, darling. Aunty Sera and I have some catching up to do."

Ah! I've missed this! So, I will continue to fill in the events of the last ten years as I continue with the storyline. I know that you'll all be quite happy that Laurien has some children and has been living a good life with them and Erik. Anything missing? Anything you'd like to know, or have touched upon in the upcoming chapters? Let me know! Thanks for bearing with me. Hope you enjoyed, and please review!