Partner

As I've said before, I've never been around pregnant women before. I have no idea how it goes, besides what the tv tells me and movies tell me.

This is not the child for Souse. He's had one with Essuan before and likely has had a few with females amongst his tribe, just he never claimed them as his. Having twins, for Sidhe, is highly abnormal. I think, and this might just me being crazy, but I think that there have been four or five sets of twins born, who survived birth, in all of Sidhe history. And these pairs have been focal points.

Of power. Of war. Of the gods.

Of course, one of the ones on the throne has to okay the survival of Sidhe twins. I wonder how Illuva did that, what she traded...

*thinks*

Okay, so I know what she traded. The gods take active interest in the lives of those who believe in them, thus there are fewer believing in the gods and those who still believe have been reaping the benefits. Meaning the high priests are successful for more than just their business prowess.

But again, writing from Mik cuts out a lot of the religious aspects of the world, which is why I like Rel so much.

Read, Reveiw and enjoy.





Mik and Paw slid into the apartment with Souse right behind them. Koln was in the kitchen, looking quite abashed, as he poured tea, made on his newly replaced stove. Several chairs were placed about the table and there was a chunk torn out of the table. Mik frowned at the chunk and watched Souse lead Paw towards Essuan’s room before turning to Koln.

“Why aren’t you in there with them?” Mik made a motion to the bedroom door.

“I.” Koln very carefully set the teacups on the kitchen table, “let me start by saying that Mari will be here soon. With a dehydrator,” the man shook his head, “and I was kicked out when I suggested that she lay down. Apparently they give birth either squatting or standing and that only people lay down and that in itself was some retarded idea fabricated by male people and thus is four times as stupid and would I also like to suggest that we open her up with a knife to retrieve the babies or was there some other way of killing a woman during birth that I would like to suggest and would I kind take my retarded ass outside before I find it impaled on a stick.”

“You’re really good at translating Essuan.”

“Lillow said that. Made Violet go a pale kind of colour. Then she added that Sidhe and females of all species have been giving birth for generations without the help of male people and that the moment male people decided to intervene with the birthing process was the moment that more women began dieing in child birth and if I thought for a moment that I was going to be allowed to use such barbarous, cruel and torturous processes on Essuan then I had another thing coming. And then. Violet’s partner yanked me out of there like a rag doll and told me to boil some water so I came out here and made tea.”

“Shouldn’t… you be boiling the water…?” Mik mumbled, sitting at the kitchen table.

“No. Mik. Boiling water, as far as I know, has always been a way to get the man out of the way and busy, so that he doesn’t panic or say something about the birth or distract the females at the particular point. Look, not even Souse is allowed in there,” Koln motioned to the Sidhe as he came back to the kitchen.

Souse slid into a seat beside Mik and patted Mik’s hand gently, “it’ll be okay.”

“Okay? When was someone going to mention that fact?” Mik asked, making a motion towards his apartment, or where he thought it was, “it’s. Just a bit important, isn’t it?”

“Yes, it is. But rarely do two live. Two are born. One lives.”

“One actually lives?” Edno asked, slumping into the seat beside Souse, “or one lives with the mother, one lives with another? Or. They live as one being?”

“Clever, Edno,” Souse murmured, “but no. When I say one lives, I mean that usually speaking, when two are born from the same womb, at the same time, one usually dies before taking its first breath. Sidhe rarely have twins. I have never seen a pair, nor has any of the other tribe members. I would have Paw ask Whisper, but he is focused elsewhere at the moment. When two are born, there is the problem that one pair of adults cannot raise the pair. This puts the tribe in a predicament. Another pair must, in some way, be joined to the true parents, to raise the second. Which child is considered special enough to stay with the parents, which is not. How does one decide these things? Do I take the strongest, or do I take the weakest to me? To protect that which cannot protect itself? As a father, how can I chose one of my children over the other, how can I chose who will raise my other child?”

“The way Paw sounded,” Mik responded, “made it seem like… like we were the other pair.”

“It would make sense, Souse. They are, somewhat, the ones who gave the other half to the children and would be involved with the upbringing of the children anyhow. They are already connected to you,” Edno murmured.

Koln sat down at the table, taking a place beside Mik, “as to the which. Well. How about we leave that until after the children are born. If what you have said is true, then the possibility of both of them surviving is slim. So. Let us see if they survive.”

The males became silent for a long moment.

“Twenty-seven years old and I might be a father in a few hours,” Mik muttered, “I’m incapable of caring for myself and I’ll be responsible for the life of something that can’t protect itself?”

“Fear is normal for first time fathers. Most are fathers before they hit twenty-seven,” Edno muttered, “you learn pretty quickly.”

Mik wrapped his hands around his tea mug and looked down into the honey coloured liquid. The thoughts that went skipping through his head frightened him and, at times, excited him. Few moments of his life were as conflicted as he was at that moment. If the children survived, and he knew he was supposed to hope that both survived for the sake of the program, then he would be guardian of one of them. If one didn’t survive there would be grief and yet… no responsibility.

Less responsibility.

What happened…

“What happens if Paw and I do take on the child? I mean, with this whole bit about we can’t or maybe we can but no one really knows, be … ehm… promised to one another?”

“That was settled,” Souse responded, “you two do as you please, least Essuan hurt us all great amounts. Of course if you mate him, you will be staying with our tribe, if you take on the child. None of this leaving the tribe to make own tribe.”

“That would be delightful,” Koln muttered, “having Mik all worried and father-like. I’m sure your mother will thoroughly approve.”

Mik hadn’t even thought about his mother. He hadn’t seen much of her since the Sidhe stopped visiting the tree for the winter. His mother took care of the tree still, but because it was dormant, the Sidhe stayed away from it, claiming that getting too close would wake it up and possibly kill it. She had been there for the party the night before but that had really been the first time in weeks that Mik had seen his mother.

Would she enjoy having a grandchild, even if the grandchild wasn’t biological? What would she think about a child of another race?

Mari flew into the apartment, a large machine in her hands. She dropped it onto the counter and plugged it into the nearest outlet before moving to the table and snatching up the blue flower. The woman completely ignored the looks that the males were giving her and placed the flower into the machine. Only once the machine was humming away, did Mari take her seat beside Edno.

“So,” She said, huffing out, “what do we do now? Males not included in that little gathering in the bedroom?”

“Koln got himself kicked out,” Mik muttered, “and Edno and I don’t belong. Souse is… uhm.”

“Ever see a woman give birth?” Souse muttered, “stuff everywhere. Well. Not everywhere. But. I’ve killed men before, but they don’t make as much of a mess dieing as they do coming into this world.”

“And not a one of you appreciates what it takes,” Mari muttered into her cup.

The males turned to Mari. Souse leaned closer to the woman, looking her up and down.

“You’ve had a child?”

“Mm,” Mari sipped her tea, “two, actually. Artificial insemination both times. Healthy babies. My mother is raising them. Don’t give me that look. I have the motherly instincts of a rock.”

Souse growled, “two children, you know how children are supposed to come out.”

“Yes… so does Essuan.”

“She’s the one giving birth!” the Sidhe roared at Mari as the woman very calmly took another sip of her tea.

Souse stood and put his hands on the table top, watching Mari as she supped on her tea. The woman pretended not to notice as she set the cup down. Then she looked up and tried to look startled.

“Oh. I’m sorry. Do you. Want me to go in there and play midwife?”

Souse growled. Koln snorted a laugh.

“I told you it would come back and bite you in the ass,” Koln told Souse.

“What would?” Mik and Edno asked as one.

“Souse apparently thinks that you and I would make cute babies,” Mari said to Mik, “he wants one as a pet.” the last bit was spat out, like a woman who didn’t want her children treated like animals. Sounded like maternal instincts to Mik.

“Well. To be fair,” Mik responded, “Why make Essuan suffer for her mate’s stupidity? She’s giving birth in there in a strange place, far away from her native land and she doesn’t know what to do. She doesn’t have access to the same stuff that she would have had there. Could probably really use the reassurance of someone who has given birth amongst people and lived to tell the tale. I would think.”

The others frowned at Mik.

“Mik is more woman than I am,” Mari muttered, standing from the table with a huff, “that doesn’t even make sense. Fine. I will go help her. But he and I are going to have words after about him and his … pets.”


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