8th chapter
Amanda tried desperately to act calm, normal, but without success. Her breathing was still uneven, her nails dug painfully in her palms, her eyes wandered around and she bit on her bottom lip nervously. It was obvious to anyone paying attention to her and once Vladimir walked into the room, he knew immediately, something was wrong. He observed her through narrowed eyes, tilting his head in the slightest. When she didn't voice the reason for her behavior, he stepped closer to her. He wondered, why she even began to shiver, while her eyes shone with fright and deep concern. He came to a halt right in front of her, his body only centimetres away. And Amanda felt trapped, she felt tears building in her eyes, that whole situation was too much for her.
"What's wrong?" Vladimir asked in a low voice filled with concern. He had no idea what would cause his mate to react the way she did. Carefully, he placed his hand on her waist, but she immediately winced and twitched at the contact, even trying to get away from him. He furrowed his brows at her behavior, making another attempt. He laid his hand on her cheek, almost forcing her to meet his gaze. When he saw her teary and frightened eyes, he felt anger built inside of him. He had to know what caused her to act the way she did.
Amanda breathed heavily, she tried to avoid looking at him, but her eyes didn't move away from his'. "It's nothing," she finally said, barely audible to her own ears. She recognized, how his gaze darkened and the deep, restricting breath that left his mouth. Her own breathing became shallow, as she remembered his words; he knew she was lying to him. Her nails dug deeper into her palms but in that situation, she didn't feel the pain. The first tear made its way down her cheek and she closed her eyes for a second. "I'm not sure," she said as low as the last time, concentrating on steadying her breaths. "This morning, I," she started but another strange move in her body, made her gasp. Her widened eyes met his and she felt more tears streaming down her face. "I'm sorry," she said in-between low sobs.
Vladimir stayed quiet for the moment, but his confusion grew. His patience was running short, he had to know what caused her sudden fear, but once again, he found himself helpless. He retreated a little, trying to ease her discomfort by giving her more space.
She was undeniably thankful for his actions and took deep breaths in an attempt to calm herself. Amanda knew she had to tell him, but she was afraid of his reaction. "I have a guess and it sounds ridiculous; I know. But I don't know what to do, if that's even possible," she rambled, looking anywhere but at him. She breathed heavily for a moment, when another round of tears streamed down her face, she looked back into his eyes. "Or what you'd do."
At the sound of those words, Vladimir looked at her in surprise. So far, he did nothing that could force her to react that way, he couldn't comprehend, why she would be suddenly afraid of his reaction. "Tell me, what is it?" He wanted to get closer to her once more, but he decided otherwise.
Amanda closed her eyes for a moment, pressing her lids together, while letting out shaky breaths. When she opened her eyes, she looked at him again. "It may sound stupid, but," she started and looked down to her belly and back up to him, "but I think, I'm pregnant." Automatically, her hand wandered down to her stomach, while sadness filled her eyes. More tears streamed down her face as she looked at his unmoving form. "I'm sorry, I should have taken precautions, I." Her voice was shaky, barely comprehensible, but he interrupted her in an instant.
Shock was the first thing, that came to Vladimir's mind at the news. He knew, obviously, that it was possible, but then again, it never occurred to him, that it could happen to him. He planned to turn her in a week or two, which was something he wanted to discuss with her that day. But that news, changed everything. He scolded himself, for not paying enough attention to the stories they had shared about that half-breed in America. When he heard her apologies, he immediately grabbed her shoulders, probably a little harsher than intended. He got closer to her in the process, looking distinctively in her widened and frightened eyes. "Don't apologize," he almost hissed at her. He looked down and at her body, before he looked back at her again. His facial expression softened and a small smile spread on his face. Carefully, he wiped away her tears with his thumb, while he lowered his other hand and let it rest on her waist, right next to her hand on her belly. "I will take care of you, both of you." His voice was sincere, though he knew he would do whatever possible, but he could only feel helpless once more. The first thing, that repeated in his head, where Carlisle's words, he had shared with another one, regarding the birth of their half-breed. The mother had almost died in the process. He had to consult with Stefan regarding that matter, but his mate was on edge already and he didn't want to let his uncertainty worsen her current situation.
Her lip twitched at his words; more tears streamed down her face as she couldn't quite believe what he said. She was too overwhelmed by her emotions. Amanda looked into his eyes, searching them for confirmation of his words, but she saw no lie. A smile formed on her lips, nodding slightly and a second later, she felt his lips on hers.
Once they parted, he pulled her into an embrace. "Everything will be alright," he cooed, stroking tenderly over her long hair. He needed her to be calm, so he could take care of their situation. Vladimir was aware, that she had to trust him even more, though she had no idea what would await her. All of that wasn't planned, it was not how he pictured it to be, but if he had learned one thing in the last centuries, it was, that he had to take some things as they came. Unforeseeable circumstances occurred from time to time and one had to adjust or go down; and surviving was definitely his strong suit.
It was the middle of the night, Amanda was fast asleep in the bedroom upstairs, while Vladimir sat in the living room, his legs crossed as he stared into the open fire of the chimney next to him. His mind raced, trying to think of every possibility that came through the unsuspected news. He waited patiently for Stefan to return and when he heard the front door opening and closing a second later, he lifted his gaze to look straight at the approaching man.
The moment, Stefan stepped into the living room and seeing the look on Vladimir's face, he knew there was something important, they had to talk about. Without saying a word, he seated himself in the chair across from his companion. He eyed the flames in the chimney for a moment, before his eyes turned to him, waiting patiently for him to voice whatever problem occurred.
They sat in silence for a few minutes, only the cracking of the logs could be heard, until Vladimir decided to break the news to him. "She's pregnant." His voice was monotonous as he spoke, though his mind was deeply troubled. Carlisle's words were on replay in his head.
"Are you certain?" Stefan asked carefully, but by the look he earned, he nodded slightly. He knew, it was something Vladimir wouldn't joke about. They both were fully aware, that her life was on the line. He would support the two of them completely, just like Vladimir did back then. They looked at each other in silence once more, having a whole conversation without uttering a single word. "You think about a visit at the Cullen's, aren't you?" Stefan's voice was low, but they knew each other long enough, to realize what was going on in the other one's head.
"I do, though I'm just as displeased as you," Vladimir answered after a while. He was sure, that Carlisle would help them, she was a human and he swore to protect those in need. But he also supported the Volturi, their sworn enemies. A frustrated sigh left his lips at the thought, to not be able to handle that on his own.
They sat in silence once more, each after their own thoughts. The fire died just minutes ago, when the sun began to rise behind the horizon. Throughout the night, they spoke barely, only the most needed words had left their lips. When Stefan stood up, Vladimir was pulled out of his thoughts. "I guess I have to make use of Felix' connections," he started, a slight smirk on his face. "We can't travel by foot this time." Vladimir was quick to mirror his smirk. "I believe they won't be pleased as well," he said in amusement and Stefan chuckled.
"Probably not." With these words, he left the house to get to their acquaintance. The only other person, they trusted.
The next day, when Amanda finished her shower and made her way into the kitchen, she was glad to have full control over her stomach again. She didn't feel sick that day and she couldn't be happier about that. With a relieved smile, she stood on the porch, enjoying the wind on the cloudy day. She leant on the railing, watching how the grass danced in the wind, while listening to the rustling trees. She closed her eyes, simply living in that moment, when a pair of cold hands pulled her into the responsible person. The smile still shown on her face, she let herself fall into the person's strong hold.
"What did I tell you about leaving the house on your own?" He asked, but she could perfectly hear the amusement in his voice. Vladimir leant down a little, pressing a soft kiss on her neck, before he took in the scenery in front of them as well. Her chuckle at his words calmed his mind, though he had to inform her of their plans on leaving soon. "There is something, we need to talk about," he started and he felt immediately, how she shifted in his arms. "Let's get you inside, I don't want prying ears to listen." He almost growled the last part, but before Amanda could say anything on that behalf, he guided her inside again.
She had a worried look on her face, when she looked at him. She sat on the edge of the couch, as her body couldn't possibly relax at the sudden tension. "What's wrong?" She asked barely audible. Nervously, she put her hair behind her ear and wetted her lips. She thought, he might have changed his mind about supporting her and that made the fear inside of her rising.
Vladimir sat down on the chair next to the chimney and looked at the woman through calculating eyes. "Your pregnancy comes with dangers you may not fathom yet," he started and eyed her every moving muscle, the change of her facial expression and the worry that clearly rose inside of her. "It's pretty new to Stefan and I as well, that there even is a possibility for this." He breathed for a moment. "The child, you bear, is a hybrid, that's why you already feel it, it grows much faster. We discovered such a hybrid a few months ago."
Amanda gulped hard at his words; she almost didn't dare to breath. She had questions, many questions, but she didn't want to interrupt him in that moment. She feared for what he might say next, while her mind tried to understand what he even meant by hybrid. If that really meant, the fetus, the child would be half-human and half-vampire.
"I will be honest with you." Vladimir looked directly into her slightly widened eyes. "That child's mother almost died, giving birth." It was silent for a moment and he took an unneeded breath. "As promised, I will take care of you, though that matter is not my expertise. Therefore, we'll leave to visit that coven to make sure you'll get the best treatment."
It was dead silent in the room, when he ended. Amanda sat there in shock, it was not just that she discovered her pregnancy, but that that could kill her in the process. For a second, a thought appeared in her mind, if he really knew about that possibility, could it be, that he might have planned it all. But she quickly discarded that thought as for the moment, she had more important matters to think about. For the time being, she had no choice but to trust him. "Where are we going?" She asked with a trembling voice. Truth be told, Amanda wasn't too keen to meet other people, especially not in her current situation.
"America," Vladimir answered without missing a beat. "Stefan is arranging our travel. We will leave as soon as possible." As if on cue, Stefan appeared back at the house. He looked from the woman to his companion and nodded shortly.
"All is set. We'll leave tomorrow," Stefan said as he walked into the room. He knew the tension must be almost unbearable, especially for her. So, he sat down at the table with the chessboard and looked challengingly at Amanda. "There's still enough time to teach you a little."
At those words, Amanda furrowed her brows, but couldn't hold the unrestricted chuckle after. "Oh, this time, I'll win," she answered playfully and made her way over to him. All while being watched by Vladimir, who had a small smile on his lips. After a few minutes, he made his way over to them, watching their game in silent amusement.
Once more, Amanda had no clue, how Vladimir and Stefan managed it, they got on a plane, without passports and two of them had clearly visible red eyes. But, there she sat, in a first-class area of a huge plane on their way to America. They were alone, far away from strangers that could suspect something unnatural. The only person that occasionally disturbed them, was a stewardess, asking her if she wanted something to eat or drink. It took Amanda a few hours of their flight to recognize, that the woman only asked her, so she assumed that she probably was involved as well. She had always a friendly smile on her face, but her eyes never looked at her directly. Amanda didn't question it further, she knew about their past and she could imagine how some still saw them and the two of them could be intimidating, if they wanted to.
Their flight was long and Amanda was glad for every bit of sleep she got, even though, she discovered her pregnancy only two days ago, the slight bulge of her belly was visible already and her body acted as if she hadn't slept in weeks.
Once they landed, they left after the plane was parked inside the building, in her weary state it was hard for her to follow whatever was going on. She came completely back to her senses, when they walked over the parking lot to a taxi, that took them to the outskirts. The rain fell rhythmically on the roof of the car, but the silence inside of it was more than uncomfortable for the only woman in the vehicle. After long minutes of silent driving, the three got out of the taxi in a forest. Stefan exchanged quick words with the driver, while Vladimir sharpened his senses, listening closely to the sounds around them. Shortly after, Stefan excused himself for the need to hunt, while Vladimir picked up Amanda with a smug smirk on his lips to get to their final destination. He knew they had to get there, before their puppy friends would get them.