Once Upon A Midnight

by Stephanie Rowe

  I attempted to stand but he held me in place. I hate that he makes me feel things so strongly at times. I still find it difficult to express myself, but he continually forces me to. I can't refuse him anything even if I tried, so when he presses me, I cave. "How can you not understand how I feel? How would you feel if I left the club by myself?"

  "I wouldn't let you."

  "See what I mean? That's the exact reason why I don't want you to go. Rhett, you are the first person I have ever cared about and I don't want anything to happen to you."

  "Gia, I understand how you feel, I really do. But you're not being realistic. We can't stand by and cower any longer. Changes have to be made and soon."

  I know he's right, yet I can't stand the thought of losing him. With a heavy heart I relent. "I'll talk to Caressa again. Maybe if I speak to her privately she'll feel less inclined to deny our requests."

  He brushed his lips over mine. "That's my sweet cheeks."

  I smile involuntarily. No matter how much I try to hide how much that endearment means to me, my body language gives me away every time. "Always." I try to get up from his lap a second time, but he pulled me in for a tight hug.

  “What else is bothering you? You’ve been really quiet these last few weeks and you don’t look so hot.”

  I rolled my eyes at him. “I’m dead you genius, I’m not supposed to look hot, but thanks for lovely compliment by letting me know I look atrocious. You really know how to capture a woman’s heart.”

  “Now you’re just being a drama queen. You know what I meant. You just don’t seem like your usual self.

  What could I tell him? I knew exactly what was wrong with me. The only problem was I couldn’t tell him because I have no idea how it happened myself. It was an impossibility for any vampire as far as I knew, yet here I was, sitting on my mate’s lap…pregnant.

  I couldn't tell him. He made it perfectly clear he never wanted children. It was one of the reasons that made it an easy decision for him to become a vampire. What was I going to say to him? I know you said you didn’t want kids, but you’re going to be a father anyway. He’d hate me. He’d leave for sure and never return again.

  Besides, I don’t even know if this pregnancy will be viable. A vampire wasn’t made to carry a child and what would happen to the baby if it were to be born? Would it be living or dead? Would it stay a baby forever if it was born a vampire? I don’t know if I could take care of a baby for an eternity.

  I shifted a little, bowing my head. I clasp my hands together and picked at the peeling red nail polish to keep busy so I wouldn't have to look in his inquisitive eyes. He tipped my chin up and glanced at my lip, which was now quivering from fear of his reaction when I tell him the news.

  “Hey, what’s wrong? What are you hiding in that little brain of yours? You know you can tell me anything right?”

  His voice was so warm, so soft and seemed to float all around me. I wished I could wrap it around my body and cover myself in its protectiveness like a child with a security blanket would do, but I can’t.

  My throat seemed to close up when I opened my mouth to speak. It felt like someone was choking me from the inside and I couldn’t get free of its hold.

  He brushed a long red lock of my hair out of my face and gently placed it behind my ear. “Gia, I know something is bothering you, please tell me.” He said softly.

  Before I could anything my vision begun to blur and I did something I haven’t done since I was human so many centuries ago; I cried. Tears fell from my eyes in big fat drops, streaming down my face. I couldn't wipe them away fast enough. My chest tightened at the thought of losing Rhett over something that was never supposed to be a problem for us to begin with. “Rhett.” I said, in between a sob. “I…I.”

  He took my face in his hands, bringing my mouth close to his. He gently rubbed his lips over mine. “Shh, it’s okay. Whatever it is, we’ll get through it together, I promise.”

  I wiped my eyes with the sleeve of my shirt and cleared my throat. “Rhett, I’m pregnant.”

  He dropped his hand away from me the instant those words left my lips. His eyes widened and his mouth gaped open. “What?”

  “I’m pregnant.” Before he had a chance to say anything else or had time to think of a much needed escape plan, I hurried to apologize. “I’m so sorry Rhett. This wasn’t supposed to happen. I don’t know how this happened. All vampire women are sterile. I have never heard of this happening in all the hundreds of years I have been immortal. I don’t know what else to say. I know you don’t want children and…” How do I tell him I want this baby? I want this baby more than I have ever wanted anything in my whole life. He’s completely shocked at the news and I can’t say I blame him. I tried to fill in the empty space that was now settled between us. “Rhett, please don’t be angry…”

  He placed his finger over my mouth to quiet me. “Why would I be mad at you? This is not something you need to be sorry for. It isn’t your fault Gia.” He tilted his head as he tried to get me to look in his eyes. His expression softened. “You want this baby, don’t you?’

  More tears filled my eyes as I nodded. I choked out a response before I thought not to say anything at all. “More than anything.”

  He smiled. “Good, so do I.”

  “What? I thought you didn’t want kids.”

  “Well, that was before I knew I was going to be a father. Gia, I love you. This is something that we made together. This baby is something that no one else has ever given you in all the hundreds of years you’ve been in existence. I think this is a pretty special gift, don’t you?”

  I nodded. “Yes, but what if this baby dies before it’s even born. What if it’s born a vampire and stays a baby forever? There are so many questions we don’t have the answers to, including how this even happened in the first place. What will the others think? We can’t afford having a baby around for eternity. It will weaken this coven. There will always be a weak link in our chain for the Hunters to easily break.”

  “Do you love me sweet cheeks?”

  “Of course I do.”

  His hand reached for mine, bringing it to his soft lips.“Then we’ll figure everything out together. I promise everything will be okay.”

  “But we don’t even know where to start. How can we figure it out when we don’t have a clue, not one clue?”

  “Okay, think back over the last couple of weeks. Is there anything you did differently?”

  I sat there for a long moment, trying to come up with something, anything that would explain this rare phenomenon, but I couldn't come up with anything. “No, I haven’t done anything different. Nothing other than trying to starve myself to death.”

  Then a tiny thought entered my mind. “The blood.”

  “What blood?”

  “The synthetic blood Noah and Caressa gave me when I wasn’t feeding. Do you think something was in that blood that made reproduction in my body feasible? Caressa said that the lab she contracted with went under new management. Do you think they made the product wrong and inadvertently came across a cure for sterilization in vampires?”

  “I don’t know, but that’s a great place to start looking for some answers. Don’t worry we’ll figure it out and whatever happens, I will always be here for you.”

  CHAPTER TEN

  AFTER THE INITIAL shock of the news, Caressa and I began to investigate the lab where the synthetic blood was being manufactured. Our research didn’t come up with much and it has been weeks since we sent off a sample to a different lab to have examined. This was time we don’t have to spare. We don’t know what will happen to the baby I’m carrying or if it’s safe for me to do so, but there’s no way I can terminate the pregnancy, even if I wanted to.

  It’s not like I could walk into a doctor’s office and have tests done like a normal human being would do. So, we’re here stuck in this hole in the ground waiting around for answers that we may never get.

  I did my best not to think of all the things
that could go wrong. I sat at the kitchen island going over the sales reports for the week. The club has been doing great and we we're already looking into buying a bigger place soon. We’ve always had the money to do it, but never had enough security to hold the place down.

  I’ve spoken to Caressa about making more vampires to protect this coven because ordinary security would never do against the expertise of the Hunters. We need soldiers of our own kind and she finally relented to the idea. We do have quite a few regulars that come in that we’ve been keeping an eye on, thinking we’d most likely be turning very soon and it’s about time we started taking control of our own destiny rather than having others make the decisions for us.

  “You feeling okay?” Rhett said as he twisted my hair and placed it on one shoulder before he placed a soft kiss on my neck.

  “I feel fine.”

  “You’re looking much better. You even have some color to your skin too.”

  I lifted my arm comparing it to his and I did in fact have color to my skin. It’s not as pale as it had been for the past few hundred years. I almost look…human. “You’re right. I’ve been too worried to even notice. I haven’t looked like this in a long time.”

  “You’re beautiful.”

  I leaned my head back against his chest wondering how I’d become so lucky to have him in my life. I never thought I would have found anyone that I could spend all eternity with, but he was a welcome surprise. Looking back, I don’t know how I made it without him.

  I turned in the stool to face him and leaned down to kiss me, but we we're interrupted by a knock on the door. I bowed my head in aggravation. It seemed we never had enough time alone together since I found out we were going to have a baby. One of my sisters and even Noah was always checking in on us despite our insistence on being fine.

  Rhett chuckled. “I’ll get it. Stay right here.” He placed a kiss on my forehead. “We seriously need to do something about them. I miss being with my sweet cheeks without interruptions. They are giving me serious cock block.”

  I laughed. “I’m going to have to agree with you. They’re just worried about us.” Another hard knock echoed through the room. “Now go open the door before they break it down."

  Rhett opened the door; Caressa, Noah, and Keira barge in like they own place. Well, technically they do, but this is my personal space and we’re all going to have a serious discussion about that very soon.

  “Please come in.” Rhett said after they’d already entered the apartment.

  I shook my head at him and muffled another laugh. “What are you all doing here? Can’t a we get some privacy once in a while?"

  Keira looked at my belly and arched an eyebrow at me. “I think you’ve had enough privacy. See what happens when the two of you are alone.”

  I rolled my eyes at her as Caressa walked toward me and handed me a folder filled papers. I glanced at them and sawthat it’s the results from the lab we’ve been waiting for.

  “What does this all mean Caressa?”

  “Well, according to the report the second batch of blood we had made contained HCG (human chorionic gonadotropin), plus elevated levels of progesterone and estrogen. I’ve put that batch to the side until we know more about what’s going on.”

  “Why was it made differently than the first batch we had made?" I was beyond confused and now have more questions floating around in my brain than I had before.

  “I don’t know, but I made an appointment to see the director in two weeks to find out.”

  “You mean I get to finally leave this place?” I jumped out of my seat. Excitement tingled all through my body at the thought of spending time out side these walls.

  “No, you are not going anywhere.” Caressa said as she pushed me back onto my stool.

  “Oh yes I am. This is my baby and my body; I think I have a right to know everything that is going on.”

  “We can’t afford anything happening to you Gia.” Caressa argued. “Rhett and Keira will go; you will stay with us here in safety with the of the rest of the coven.”

  “If Rhett goes, I go. If anything happens to him I for damn sure will be right by his side and there’s nothing any of you can do or say to change my mind.”

  Rhett stood by side, grabbing me by the waist and pulled me close to his body. “Maybe Caressa is right Gia. Maybe you should stay here with the others.”

  “What are you saying Rhett? You don’t want me to be by your side. What happened to we’ll figure it out together? And what if something happened to you and I wasn’t there?

  He let me go and turned me to face him.” That’s exactly why I think you shouldn’t go. You are carrying my child and it’s my job to keep you both safe.”

  “Don’t give me that macho bullshit, I can take care of myself, I’m going!”

  “Okay, fine.” Caressa interrupted with an exasperated glance in my direction. “You can go with Rhett, but Keira is going with you just in case.”

  “Yay, road trip.” Keira jumped up and down with her tiny twisted braids bouncing off her shoulders and her black eyes seemed to gleam with anticipation.

  Caressa put a damper on poor Keira’s party of one. “This is no time for fun and games Keira. This is business, serious business. Gia and the baby need you be cautious, calculated, and alert to everything that’s going on around you. This is no time for playing around.”

  Keira flipped her hair off her shoulder. “Boy, you really know how to ruin a girl’s fun. You know, you’re becoming a real wet noodle.”

  “Well, I’ sorry you feel that way, but right now we have more important things to be worrying about than me being a wet noodle.”

  I couldn’t help but laugh at their exchange. I’m glad I’m not the only one around here that can push Caressa’s buttons. That job gets pretty exhausting after a while.

  “And Patience will be going with you guys too.” Caressa continued.

  I expressed my discontent by whining. “Aw, c’mon. Why is she coming along with us? She’ not going to be able to contribute anything and that’s one more person we have to look out for.”

  Caressa sat on the stool next to mine gathering up the papers I had put on the counter and placed them back in the folder. “Stop whining like a little child. She is going. You will be gone for almost a week and you’ll need someone who can go out in the daytime if need be. She is the only human I trust so there’s no debating it.”

  “Keira is right; you are becoming a wet noodle.”

  Keira laughed and Caressa rose from her seat, grabbing Noah’s hand as they made their way to the front door. My head was spinning with everything that would be going on and I sway a bit from the vertigo I have been experiencing. I haven’t felt like this since I was human.

  Rhett rushed to my side catching me before I fell off the stool. “You okay sweet cheeks?”

  “Yeah, I think so. I need to lie down for a while.”

  He took me by the arm and led me over to the sofa. He placed a pillow behind my head as I laid back. “I really don’t think it's good idea for you to travel now. I think you should stay here and rest.”

  “Rhett I’m going.”

  “Okay fine, but if I see you in any kind of distress I’m bringing you right back here and there will be no more discussion about it.”

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  SITTING IN THE car with Patience for the last five hours was brutal and I wanted to kill myself when we hit that bit of traffic on the way to Washington D.C. I was trying to enjoy the ride and thought it would have been good to finally leave the safety of the club for a while, but my excitement was quickly doused the moment Patience opened her mouth. She started talking the minute she got into the car and hasn’t stopped since. I wish she would shut the fuck up already.

  I attempted to tell her just that about halfway through the drive here, but Rhett placed his hand on mine, shaking his head and told me to leave her be. I know he didn’t want me to aggravate myself, but there was only so much of Patience I could t
ake. How I put up with her for the last year is beyond me and what’s more, how does she not annoy anyone else?

  We closed the club early last night so we would have enough time to drive through the night and stop at a hotel to sleep during the day. Our appointment with the doctor at the lab was tomorrow night so we needed to rest as much as possible.

  When Rhett stopped the car I was more than elated and quickly jumped out so I didn’t have to hear Patience anymore. I walked ahead to the automatic doors of the hotel and checked us in.

  Thankfully we have two separate rooms. Keira is a gem for sharing a room with Patience because if I had to be in her company for one more second I would throw myself right out the hotel window.

  When I got into our room, I plopped on the king size bed face down and groaned. “Uh, finally.” My face was buried in the pillow and my voice was muffled.

  Rhett laughed. “She isn’t that bad Gia.”

  I sat up on the edge of the bed and furrowed my eyebrows at him. “How does she not bother you?”

  “I think she’s kinda cute.”

  Irritation laced my words. “Oh, do you now?

  “Relax. I only have eyes for my sweet cheeks.” His arms wrapped around my waist, giving me a light squeeze. A kiss was placed on my cheek and he gently rubbed the small lump in mybelly. “How’s our little one doing?”

  With my head slumped to my chest I wished I could give him an answer. Fact of the matterwas, I had no idea how the baby was, or if it will even be born. There wasnothing in our history that we could refer to and compare my symptoms. “I don’t know.” My voice was barely a whisper as it left my mouth.

  “Hey, everything will be okay, I promise.”

  “How can you promise me something like that Rhett? We have no idea what’s going on or what can possibly happen. There’s so much that can go wrong.”

  “But there’s so much that can go right. Let’s sleep on it tonight. Tomorrow we’ll go and see that doctor; maybe then we’ll have some answers.”

  “What if he can’t give us the answers we need...”