"What did he say?"
Sera smiled as she recalled his exact reaction. At first, he had been elated, hugging and kissing her as he yelled happily. Then, reality had sunk in. The same reality that had crashed upon her and knocked the joy out, the same reality that had robbed her of all the happiness she had originally felt. David had instantly contacted his friends in Pennsylvania, while Sera and Liam sat anxiously by, hoping and praying that she would not have to get rid of their baby.
David's friends had assured him that it was all right. That she would not give birth to a monster, that everything would be fine. According to them, her child would grow until maturity, where upon it would age no more. It would be a vampire from birth, but to the outside world, it would appear completely human. They assured David that there was no harm to her, or the child, and that there had been others of their kind born, and they had all been normal, or as normal as they could be.
Sera was still frightened though, and so was Liam. Although, most of his worries centered upon her, while hers centered upon the life growing inside her. Their child would have no choice in its life. It would be born into a world of blood and death, and she prayed that it would not grow to resent them for it. Prayed that David's friends were right, and everything would be fine. She had already grown to love the baby inside of her, and she wanted it more than anything, but she was scared.
"He's happy," she finally answered. Which was true, he was happy, he was just frightened that something would happen to her, and that fear overshadowed everything else.
"And you?" Kathleen asked.
Sera smiled as her hand stroked her stomach. "I'm very happy." Kathleen studied her intently, obviously not fully believing her. "I'm a little scared; we're both a little scared."
"Well, that's to be expected." Then, Kathleen grinned happily as she climbed to her feet. "You always wanted a big family. Are you two going to get married?"
Sera bit back a laugh. She had never even thought about marriage, their relationship went far deeper than marriage. Their bond was different, stronger, eternal, but of course Kathleen would think of marriage as the ultimate bond. "I see you told her."
Sera looked up as Liam appeared in the doorway. His eyes glinted merrily as they landed upon her. "Move." Jack shoved roughly by Liam as he strode into the room. "Like you need a stupid piece of paper," he mumbled as he grabbed boxes off the floor. "You two are sickening enough now."
"Thanks Jack," Sera replied.
He grinned at her as he shuffled the boxes in his arm. "It's true," he defended.
"Yeah it is," Mike said.
"So what do you say? Do you want to get married?" Liam asked.
Sera gaped at him. "Liam..."
"I bet you always dreamed of a big wedding, with a cake, and a beautiful white dress."
Now Jack, Mike, Doug, and David were gawking at him. Sera grinned at him. As far as she was concerned they didn't need any vows, they had already made them, but she had always dreamed of a wedding. He strode across the room and knelt before her as he took hold of her hand.
"So, will you marry me?"
His eyes twinkled merrily as he gazed at her. Sera grinned back at him. "Yes."
He smiled as he wrapped his hand around the back of her head and kissed her. The touch of his lips instantly sent a bolt of lust through her. She pulled back before she could completely lose herself to him. "Oh!" Kathleen cried happily. "We have so much planning to do! We'll need a dress, and a caterer, and we're going to have to find a hall! I'm sure Oregon has some beautiful places! We'll have to start looking immediately, unless you want to wait until after you have the baby, then it will have to be a winter wedding!"
Kathleen continued to prattle on about the plans. "Oh for crying out loud!" Mike interrupted. "Could you make these plans on the plane, before we miss it?"
Sera's grin widened as she slid her arms around Liam's neck and kissed him again. "Oh, congratulations!" Kathleen cried as she threw her arms around them both. "I'm so happy for you!"
Sera laughed as she wrapped her arms around her friend.
EPILOGUE
Sera rested her arms on the railing of the porch as she watched Liam glide across the lawn. Behind him the lake was bright with the setting sun. The mountains loomed high above it, and stretched for miles across the vast sky. She loved the coziness and security that their home provided. The warmth that enveloped it.
A seductive smile curved his mouth, his eyes sparked as he caught her watching him. David's friends had been right about everything. Their children were happy, and as normal as they could be for not being human. The children didn't fully understand that yet, but one day they would. David had also been right about their desire for each other not dimming, but growing stronger. Their love was more intense than it had ever been, and it continued to grow every day.
"Mommy!" Ethan cried as he left his father's side. Sera moved to head him off as she had been trying to rid him of his habit of running upstairs. In his overwhelming, four year old exuberance, he was more than likely going to fall.
He mounted the top step and raced across the porch to her. His black hair was tussled and windblown as he flung himself into her arms. She scooped him up and held him close as his mischievous green eyes twinkled merrily. He looked so much like his father that it was shocking. "You're not supposed to run up the stairs," she scolded.
He grinned as he flung his arms around her neck, knowing that was enough to get him out of trouble. Liam stepped onto the porch, his head cocked as he studied them. Sera shrugged and grinned, she didn't feel any shame. He shook his head disapprovingly as he smiled and shifted their two-year-old daughter, Isabelle, in his grasp. Her chubby arms were wrapped around his neck as she lifted her golden head to smile at Sera.
Liam moved swiftly across the porch as Ethan slid down her leg and bolted through the open sliding glass doors. Isabelle instantly wanted down to follow her brother. Liam set her on her feet so she could toddle through the door after him. "You're a wonderful disciplinarian."
