[Intermediate 3/3] Dawns Rise
|| Having been pregnant before, perhaps Chava was expecting something much simpler this second time around. That perhaps, it wouldn't be any more difficult than the first. But considering again that she was having twins, and they were perhaps due to come in around a month, she would get no such luck. The past four months Chava had slowly gotten worse and worse, to the point that now, she couldn't even leave the bed. Her breathing was getting shallower by the day and it was best if she just didn't walk at all. It was like she was permanently sick with next to no hope of getting better. The lights were too bright, most sounds were far too loud, and she felt at her best with closed eyes and lying in bed, with Damien near. If she was completely honest, she was almost certain the twins were killing her slowly. That when they finally did come, they would just kill her outright. And that wasn't exactly something she could help. There was no choice in her death, nothing she could do about it, no matter the potions Damien brought her to force down her throat. And what if the twins came early? She didn't have the energy. What if Lucedio or Aeron somehow managed to attack them in their house? She was one hundred percent dead for sure, if she wasn't already. She lay in bed, feeling at a peak of sickness, of weakness, the worst she had felt yet. Even lying down didn't quite help. With a small whimper, she reaches a hand out as if looking to grasp for Damien. She had to say something.
|| Very little had happened in the months that had passed, though what had occurred were things of note. Damien had been in St Mungos for a week and a half before being released. Confringo wasn't a Dark curse, so it wasn't difficult to heal. The main problem was that the spell had damaged many of his internal organs. One of the days when his wife visited him, he'd heard later, she'd encountered the creature they'd come across so long ago. Damien was against keeping the creature around, or even nearby at first, since it had attacked him, but once he saw how useful it was given it's hatred for Lucedio, he changed his mind. He likened it to an arrow on a bow. Point it at what you want to kill, and let it fly. The months after that, had been very boring and dry, but in some small way, he preferred it like that. After the massive fights that had claimed his attention previously, now he could just relax, and help Chava adjust to life without her hand. Of course, they both had their worries, but when did they not? He knew that sometime soon, either he or Lucedio would die, he just hoped that no one else died before that could happen. It was this seeming inevitability that he was pondering when he heard a noise next to him. He turned his head to look over at Chava, who was clearly in pain or something like that. He just hoped... no it was far too early for that. "Chava, do you need a potion?" He knew they wouldn't really work that well. Whether it was because he wasn't a master at potions, because potions didn't affect pregnent women, or whether a pregnant chava just had some sort of strange immunity to potions, he didn't quite know. He just knew he was ready to grab his wand, cast as good spell as he could manage to change how she appeared, and drag her all the way to St Mungos if she was in as much pain as it appeared she was in.
|| She heard him speak, so that was how she knew he was there. She grips him with her hand and holds tightly as she could manage, eyes fluttering with a strange ragged breath. "Hey," she mutters, just above a whisper- if she was even heard at all. She makes a motion as if to pull him closer. If she were to die, because of this, she wanted to make sure now Damien would know what to do and would be okay. "Dami," she moves to mumble close to his ear, her eyes shutting once more to block out some light. "Are you... going to be alright?" She starts out. Her head was starting to pound and she was getting dizzier by the moment. She would either die soon with the twins, or perhaps even the twins would come far too soon, and she'd be able to save them before she might have died. "I think that... maybe... I won't..." She stops again as her breath catches in her throat, stopping her dead. She couldn't get that breath out, and she heaves and starts to cough, before the breath flooded her lungs once more. Along with this, she wanted her other hand back. For some reason she was convinced everything would be easier with a second hand, and she wouldn't hurt this much. Damien would understand what she means. He had to. But what could he possibly do?
|| As she grips his hand, Damien pulls himself up, turning himself to more directly face her. His eyes scan hers as if trying to figure out what she was saying exactly. "You'll be fine." He gave her hand a gentle squeeze, though he was telling himself that just as much as he was telling her. He reached over to the bedside table, before picking up his wand, debating on whether or not to enact on his plan of dragging her to St Mungos. On one hand, it was incredibly boring there, and if it turned out to be nothing, then he'd feel guilty for putting her through that. Yet on the other hand, if he didn't bring her and it turned out to be serious, he'd never forgive himself. Her coughing fit sealed his decision, and he let go of her hand, pulling himself out of the bed. He threw one of his cloaks, before flicking his wand at Chava, doing his best to change her appearance, despite his lack of skill with any spell let alone a complex one. "I'm taking you to St. Mungos. Don't argue, you aren't in any state to." He knew she would argue, and would probably fight against him, but in the state she was in, he figured it was the best choice for him to make.
|| Her eyes flick open wide when he speaks, and she instantly pulls her hand away from his, pushing backwards on the bed, trying to pull his wand away. She didn't have the energy to fight him, but she would damn well try. There was no way she would let herself go to St Mungos and make this any worse on herself if they found out who she was. Even if Damien changed her appearance it wouldn't work very well, and it wouldn't last long enough for a full stay at St Mungos. And her DNA was still the same, everything about her still the same. No, she would not risk it. There was no way. "NO! No no no no!" she screams, and the screaming illicits another coughing fit from her, trying to struggle for a breath. "I won't go. I won't I won't." She was going on and on but she didn't care, she couldn't help herself. She cowers away from him, absolutely insistent on not going. She would make sure there would be nothing he could do about it. "I'm going to die anyway. That's what I wanted to tell you, I'm gonna die I'm just gonna die, the twins will kill me." She pulls the blanket over her head, trying to curl into herself as much as she could. It was at that moment, she felt a sharp pain, and something akin to a scream escapes her lips under the blanket.
|| She certainly wouldn't be making anything easier. True they ran the risk of her being found out by taking her to St Mungos, but he figured he could subvert those risks. He yanked on the blanket tugging it away from her, so he could drag her out of bed. Hell, he'd even levitate her if need be. Granted, he'd pass out as soon as they hit the doors, but it would be worth it. "Yes, He states simply, not listening to her ranting that came after a coughing fit. If anything, it just solidified his plan even further. "You're not going to die. Especially not if you let me take you to St Mungos. If I have to bribe or threaten someone, I will, but I will take you there, and you wil lbe fine."
|| A different kind of pain was attacking her, so much so that she couldn't even manage to fight back from him. She knew pretty quickly what was happening, but for some reason, this was so much worse than it once was. She screams again, before clasping her hand over her mouth. "Oh no," she groans in a muffled tone, before she immediately has to move her hand so she could actually try to breathe. She started to hyperventilate, her eyes rolling back. She was getting dizzier and the breath just wasn't coming to keep her conscious. But it was too early for this, right? There was still around a month to go before the twins were due, and yet... she was certain this was it. "No I am, I am dying, Dami..." She reaches her hand out to grip him once more, as if giving in to everything and no being able to fight him. "Its too late for St Mungos if the twins are going to come /now/ like they are." Her hand drops onto the bed, eyes fluttering open and closed, her hyperventilating over time turning softer, her breath shallower as it was barely coming from her lungs. She was definitely dying. She knew this, even if he didn't believe it. "Stay here with me," she croaks with what breath she had. "Please, please help me, I can't... they'll kill me..." Everything was swimming before her and he was blurry, everything was blurry, she felt like she was underwater. Again, the sharp pain hits, and her mouth opens with a gasp, unable to scream. This was it, this was it.
|| This was something Damien was unfamiliar with. He had a feeling what was going on, but that didn't make him prepared, nor did he know exactly what he could do, or what he should do. It was all something he wasn't familiar with. Granted, he had a daughter, but she was born after his first wife left him. It wasn't something he was involved with. He didn't even know she was even pregnant when she left. A sigh escapes his lips, trying to calm himself down. It worked for a moment before his brain jump-started into overdrive. What if their fears came true? What if she was dying... what if... It was a painful and inhibiting thought, that he forced out of his mind. She would live. She /had/ to. "You won't die. I promise that." He flicked his wand towards the door, summoning several potions from the storeroom. He figured it couldn't hurt to use some potions to numb the pain. He only had two, which could be a problem, but he figured it was a start. He could always summon the cauldron if he needed. Pulling the stopper from the bottle, he poured the contents into her mouth. "It might not work like the other ones, but maybe it'll help." She was right, it was far too late for St Mungos, but he'd still bring her there after. "Fine, but after I'm taking you there. A well placed bribe or threat can go a long way." if there even was an after. "I'll stay, just try to hold hope."
|| It was hard to hold hope when she could barely even hear the words her husband was telling her. For an hour after that she was still suffering with aching pains and her breathing was either far too fast or far too slow to be normal. A few times she spins in and out of consciousness, or she jerks in a spout of pain. Pregnancy was, perhaps, never healthy for a woman who was never healthy in the first place. At least with her first child she was capable of going to St Mungos. What was wrong with these twins? Why were they trying to kill her? Damien's potions helped slightly, but not nearly enough to really save her. How could Damien even still hold hope after an hour of this continuing? There would be no after. There was perhaps never any after. She might have known from the start this would kill her, and her only solace was that at least Lucedio hadn't been the one to do it. But of course, he'd still be happy it happened. The longer it went on, waiting for the twins, Chava's breath became practically nonexistent, shallowing out until she barely moved from it and it couldn't be heard. Sometimes she wondered if she really was still alive, and she just hadn't realized she had died yet. But that couldn't be true, because she still felt pain. Pain that was getting worse despite everything. But she didn't even have the breath to scream anymore. "Im sorry..." she manages, her eyes rolling back in her skull before just focusing on Damien. It wasn't until after the twins were born, both girls, both far too small and premature, and identical, did it all really hit Chava. She didn't even have time to think about the kids when she felt like her heart was stopping, beating slower until it just about hit a stop, her body freezing up, eyelids closing. Her breathing was nonexistent until it really did stop, and Chava was no longer conscious of anything around her. There was no light and no sound, and not a thing to think about. Dead. Dead, she had to be dead. She'd have felt guilty if she could.
|| He knew that she wouldn't believe his works, knew that she wouldn't have a grain of hope in her mind. It was how Chava worked. It wasn't something new, Chava's lack of hope. What was new was Damien's. One of them had always hoped for the other. That was the dynamic between them. Damien would fight for Chava, and Chava would fight for Damien. It was how they made things work. And when one had given up on hope, the other had plenty of hope to offset that. This time, Damien couldn't help but feel dread. It wasn't uncommon for women to die during pregnancy, though with Chava already having gone through childbirth, he once figured that she would live again. Now, in momento, he wasn't so sure. Death was always an inevitability. Especially when it came to him. So many people suffered, so many people died, why would Chava be any different? The hour that he sat there was long an arduous, feeling more like days or weeks, than an hour. The only thing that gave Damien any sort of solace was in listening to Chava's breathing. That at least let him know she was still alive. Even when it got shallow, and hard to hear, it kept him sane. Many times, he felt himself losing his mind into the many 'what ifs' that swarmed within. And every time he did, it took him a few moments to pull himself back. Though one time he found himself lost in the confines of his darker thoughts, it wasn't him dragging himself out to see she was still alive. It was her speaking. "Sorry?" He asked, blinking slightly, before raising his eyes up towards her. What did she have to be so- "NO!" His eyes caught her falling back, her breathing shallowing, before stopping altogether. His mind drove itself into overdrive with panic and fear. He rushed forward, cradling her up in his arms, tears beginning to fall from his eyes. Seeing her lying there... so lifeless... "Nononono!" He pressed a kiss to her cheek, as if hoping that would bring her back. "Please, no! Don't leave me alone." What was life worth living for if he had lost her? It was at that moment that he wanted to seek out Lucedio and beg for death just so he could join her, but that wouldn't be fair to Clover, to Aveline. To the twins. The twins... "Please... we need you. We... I love you. Come back."
|| For a while, the only other sound of life to be heard was that of the twins, screaming as any newborn was, momentarily forgotten by their father in the apparent death of their mother. But as in turned out, Damien would be the one to save her. Chava's breathing had stopped, her eyes closed and glassy underneath, and she couldn't sense or feel a thing. It was all black, all pain having left her in what was supposed to be her death. Yet still her heart worked hard to keep beating, to keep going, and had just stopped when something suddenly kept it going. Without two babies to dull the effects the healing potions might have had, the ones she had taken before left Chava barely able to cling to life. She had, perhaps, laid there in seeming death for ten minutes, twenty, who really knew? It felt like enternity. Then her heart beat once firmly, and then again, and again, until Chava woke, gasping loudly for the breath her lungs were finally allowing her. Her eyes slowly open, and she gasps so hard for that breath that she almost starts to hyperventilate all over again just to make sure she wouldn't lose it all again. She could barely say a word, and the next thing to register in her head was that she had been moved, and Damien was holding her, seemingly very distraught. Of course, he had thought her dead. She would have thought the same if she could have. She grips tightly onto his shirt, burying into him, now only thinking of him, and him only. She felt the strong need to comfort him, wipe away any tear, calm him down. "Shh, shh," she repeats when she finally could, when her breathing was evening out to something that more resembled normality.
|| For a long time, Damien sat there, his eyes shedding tears until they no longer could, until he had driven him to a numb state. Using a time spell would tell him that only twenty minutes had passed, but for him, the burden remained heavy on his heart as if he had spent an eternity suffering. He couldn't even react when Chava gasped out for air, settling it away in the back of his mind as a delusion. No, /his/ Chava was dead. She had died half an hour ago. It was either a delusion, or a cry from one of the twins. One or the other. It couldn't possibly be Chava. It wasn't until he felt something grabbing onto his shirt that he realized. "Chava!" The relief that flooded into his mind couldn't be compared to anything. In all of his years of life, in all his experience, he had never felt anything so mind-numbingly relieving as seeing Chava alive. He pressed a kiss to her lips. "Thank Merlin you're alive." In an attempt to drive his mind elsewhere, he jerks his head over towards the twins before saying, "We're gonna have to name the twins. I say we name one of them "Holyshitmommysalive". Nice ring to it, right?"
|| She did reach her hand out to gently brush against his cheek, as if to wipe away any tears, and to keep him calm, when his mind first realized she was still here. It surprised even herself, that she was alive. She had to have been dead, right? Unless this was some kind of afterworld or some sick trick on her dead mind. But she was never dead. And Damien, before her, was very much real and pleased to see her. She was alive, but weak, very weak, and holds close to Damien's body as she listens to him. She waited a while before she could speak, a smile flicking across her lips at his joke. And to think she hadnt even thought about naming the twins. "Those little fuckers tried to kill me," she mutters, making a joke herself, despite the fact it was, in one sense, very true. But still, seeing the two of them, her new daughters, gave Chava reason to smile, and want to hold them, really see them. Find the bits of them that would remind her of Damien, of herself, of who they looked like. And what to name them... She finally releases her grip on Damien's shirt to reach that hand out to the twins, as if signaling to Damien what she wanted. There was no way she could move much at all right now. "But its best not to think about what almost happened." That was for his own wellbeing, his happiness. It would better him to think on something else. "We should distinguish them before naming them, perhaps."
|| Life was fleeting. Life was special, and yet most people took it for granted. Damien could say for certain that he was one of those people before. Now, however, he could see how truly special and remarkable life was. It didn't make him want to murder less, nor did it make him want to walk up to Lucedio and start hugging him... Actually, stored that in his mind for something to do later. The sheer shock on his twin's face would be priceless. He might suffer with a few broken bones, but it would be well worth it. But what he appreciated about life was Chava's, their children's, even his own to some extent. But glancing over and seeing the twins gave him a new perspective on life. It wasn't something he'd been able to experience before, given that Clover was born after his first wife left him. "Goes to show that they'll fit right in with this family." he chuckles lightly, squeezing her hand. He glanced over towards the twins, before releasing Chava's hand. He moved over towards the children, picking them up, and moving the mover towards Chava, so she could see them. "I can only hope that 'self-cleaning diapers' are a thing, otherwise, we'll have to learn to deal with that sooner or later."
|| She took one of the twins from Damien, leaving him to the other, tilting her head to the side as she looked down at her. Once the two calmed down, and their eyes were open and she was staring up at her, Chava cracks a large smile. "Familiar eyes," she smirks at Damien. She considered it something of a miracle, that both twins were even still alive, after all Chava had been through while pregnant with them. They could have been injured or lost important things multiple times, but yet they hadn't. And much like Damien, this was something of a new experience for her. It wasn't long after Chava had given birth to Aveline that her then boyfriend had taken her and left. Chava had never gotten to see Aveline grow, really, hadn't even gotten to name the girl herself before she was taken. Now was her chance to do just that, but right next to Damien, whom she loved. "Names... I don't know if I'm any good with names. I never got to do it." She lies back against Damien, brushing her fingers over the small girl's head. She was happy, and it made her forget even her own near death moment. Perhaps suffering through that damn torture pregnancy was worth this. "Do you have any serious ideas?" she teases him.
|| Holding the child awkwardly, Damien smirks slightly at Chava's comment. He wondered idly what they would have of Chava's "They would have looked better with their mother's" He chuckles lightly before settling the child down in Chava's lap. He wasn't the clingy type of parent. Hell, he wasn't even the parent type of parent. These sort of things just happened. He was slightly that neither of the twins were male, but it wasn't too big of a deal. He could just figure something out later. It wasn't like the end of the "Thorne" name was a bad thing anyway. In some ways it was good. It meant there there would never be another Lucedio Thorne. When Chava brought up the subject of names again, he muttered to himself "Well that's one thing I got from my mother." They were both a stickler for making sure the names meant something. That was something he was denied with Clover. "For the one with the birthmark, I'm thinking Orianna. Orianna Zillah Thorne." He pointed towards the one he'd just put down. "And the other, Aurora. Aurora Cerin Thorne." he paused a moment before remarking the meanings. "Dawn, Shadow, Thorne. Dawn, Little Dark One, Thorne."
|| Chava grins at her husband, cuddling up to him with the twins in her arms. Orianna and Aurora Thorne. "I like it," she mumbles, sighing slightly, a little wistfully. Yes, she was happy, but this also brought a whole new set of concerns. The girls were targets to Lucedio. She knew anything that might hurt Damien was good enough for Lucedio, and what better to do than to not only target her, his wife, but also his daughters, who were too young to defend themselves? And what if the twins ended up with a relationship like that of Damien and Lucedio? Or they ended up so horrible they marked themselves as enemies again herself and their father? What if Chava herself was such a bad mother, as she always had been, that she'd never be able to have a decent relationship with either, let alone be capable of saving them from any harm? She sighs again, heavier this time, before leaning over both girls, and speaking just loud enough for Damien to hear. "I will be a damn good mother. I will protect you both at the cost of my own life. I promise to be around as you both grow up, walk, talk. I promise to do whatever I can to disguise myself so I can be there when you both get your wands and are off on the train to Hogwarts or are studying for yours OWLs. I promise to help with homework, first loves, bullies, fresh teenage girl drama..." She chuckles lightly at that, before her expression grows much darker. "I promise Lucedio will not be a problem for either one of you. I'll be around for you both." She tilts her head back to look at Damien then, eyebrows furrowed. "And for you," she tells him, pressing a small, gentle kiss to his jaw. "I'm really sorry for scaring you," she murmurs, needing to say something about what had happened. "I'm really sorry you had to go through that."
|| He could see in her eyes that she had the same sort of doubts that he did. There were just so many ifs that what would actually happen with the twins seemed more of a mystery than his own future. But there was something he doubted even she was thinking. He wouldn't bring it up, but if Lucedio had nearly died because of a disease, was it possible for one of them to get it too? Was it just an illness that Lucedio succumbed to, or was it a genetic fault? And if it was the latter, that would make him even more worried. A set of twins born to a twin. That had to be some incredible luck. Good or bad, he didn't know. But if there was one thing he was certain of is that he wouldn't bring up his doubts now. Lucedio didn't show any symptoms of what nearly killed him until two and a half. That was plenty of time. They could cross that bridge later, if there even was such a bridge at all. "I'm glad you do." He smiled lightly though it didn't quite reach his eyes. It was only made worse by her promise, which brought on even more what ifs. The most important one being, what if she couldn't keep her promise. What if she died before any of that. He would say not to make promises she couldn't keep, but he couldn't bring himself to say anything negative. "First loves? As if someone will want to date them when they'll have a sadistic and violent father standing behind them. "Hey Mr. Thorne, I'm taking your daughter on a--- you know what... never mind." He chuckles lightly, genuinely, before saying. "I can deal with scares fairly easily. Just not that type. But it's fine, you're alive. That's all that matters. Oh, and them too," he hastily adds with a nod to the twins.
|| She laughs genuinely at his words, and she knew that was exactly what she wanted. That was the kind of life Chava had began to hope and dream for. No Lucedio, and their only worry being silly things like the first loves of their daughters. "I'd say they might be prone to sneaking around, but they might gain my skills in subterfuge," she laughs again, curling close to him after laying the twins down to rest. Chava herself was rather exhausted, after the day's activities, and there was still no strength in her to do much of anything. It was a relief any potions now might work better. She buries her head into his neck, kissing it softly. "And I promise you that I'll never scare you like that again." It was a promise she couldn't guarantee could ever be kept, as it wasn't in her own control, but she didn't have to say that out loud. "I promise. I promise on... everything. I won't leave you. And if I do... blame me. Blame me and never forgive me for breaking my promise. Okay?" She tugs him down as if to lie down with her, waiting for an answer.
|| A chuckle escapes his lips, before smirking slightly. Everything seemed almost normal, and Damien was starting to believe he could handle a normal life. "They might be, but their father's pretty good at sneaking around himself. He grew up on it." He kisses her forehead, before taking a seat on the bed. He didn't want to say anything, didn't want to worry, but the way she kept bringing it up made him worry. She kept making promises, but as they piled up he worried more and more that she wouldn't be able to to keep them. There were things they couldn't control. Things they couldn't plan for, "Don't promise anything." He says, shaking his head fervently as she continued to speak. "And what if you die at Lucedio's hands. What if he manages to kill you without you even being able to fight back. If you walked out maybe I could blame you. But if you had no control..." he sighed lightly before pulling himself into the bed with her, "And that's the best you're going to get." With that he planted a kiss on her lips before saying. "Now rest. I'd say you've earned it."
|| Very little had happened in the months that had passed, though what had occurred were things of note. Damien had been in St Mungos for a week and a half before being released. Confringo wasn't a Dark curse, so it wasn't difficult to heal. The main problem was that the spell had damaged many of his internal organs. One of the days when his wife visited him, he'd heard later, she'd encountered the creature they'd come across so long ago. Damien was against keeping the creature around, or even nearby at first, since it had attacked him, but once he saw how useful it was given it's hatred for Lucedio, he changed his mind. He likened it to an arrow on a bow. Point it at what you want to kill, and let it fly. The months after that, had been very boring and dry, but in some small way, he preferred it like that. After the massive fights that had claimed his attention previously, now he could just relax, and help Chava adjust to life without her hand. Of course, they both had their worries, but when did they not? He knew that sometime soon, either he or Lucedio would die, he just hoped that no one else died before that could happen. It was this seeming inevitability that he was pondering when he heard a noise next to him. He turned his head to look over at Chava, who was clearly in pain or something like that. He just hoped... no it was far too early for that. "Chava, do you need a potion?" He knew they wouldn't really work that well. Whether it was because he wasn't a master at potions, because potions didn't affect pregnent women, or whether a pregnant chava just had some sort of strange immunity to potions, he didn't quite know. He just knew he was ready to grab his wand, cast as good spell as he could manage to change how she appeared, and drag her all the way to St Mungos if she was in as much pain as it appeared she was in.
|| She heard him speak, so that was how she knew he was there. She grips him with her hand and holds tightly as she could manage, eyes fluttering with a strange ragged breath. "Hey," she mutters, just above a whisper- if she was even heard at all. She makes a motion as if to pull him closer. If she were to die, because of this, she wanted to make sure now Damien would know what to do and would be okay. "Dami," she moves to mumble close to his ear, her eyes shutting once more to block out some light. "Are you... going to be alright?" She starts out. Her head was starting to pound and she was getting dizzier by the moment. She would either die soon with the twins, or perhaps even the twins would come far too soon, and she'd be able to save them before she might have died. "I think that... maybe... I won't..." She stops again as her breath catches in her throat, stopping her dead. She couldn't get that breath out, and she heaves and starts to cough, before the breath flooded her lungs once more. Along with this, she wanted her other hand back. For some reason she was convinced everything would be easier with a second hand, and she wouldn't hurt this much. Damien would understand what she means. He had to. But what could he possibly do?
|| As she grips his hand, Damien pulls himself up, turning himself to more directly face her. His eyes scan hers as if trying to figure out what she was saying exactly. "You'll be fine." He gave her hand a gentle squeeze, though he was telling himself that just as much as he was telling her. He reached over to the bedside table, before picking up his wand, debating on whether or not to enact on his plan of dragging her to St Mungos. On one hand, it was incredibly boring there, and if it turned out to be nothing, then he'd feel guilty for putting her through that. Yet on the other hand, if he didn't bring her and it turned out to be serious, he'd never forgive himself. Her coughing fit sealed his decision, and he let go of her hand, pulling himself out of the bed. He threw one of his cloaks, before flicking his wand at Chava, doing his best to change her appearance, despite his lack of skill with any spell let alone a complex one. "I'm taking you to St. Mungos. Don't argue, you aren't in any state to." He knew she would argue, and would probably fight against him, but in the state she was in, he figured it was the best choice for him to make.
|| Her eyes flick open wide when he speaks, and she instantly pulls her hand away from his, pushing backwards on the bed, trying to pull his wand away. She didn't have the energy to fight him, but she would damn well try. There was no way she would let herself go to St Mungos and make this any worse on herself if they found out who she was. Even if Damien changed her appearance it wouldn't work very well, and it wouldn't last long enough for a full stay at St Mungos. And her DNA was still the same, everything about her still the same. No, she would not risk it. There was no way. "NO! No no no no!" she screams, and the screaming illicits another coughing fit from her, trying to struggle for a breath. "I won't go. I won't I won't." She was going on and on but she didn't care, she couldn't help herself. She cowers away from him, absolutely insistent on not going. She would make sure there would be nothing he could do about it. "I'm going to die anyway. That's what I wanted to tell you, I'm gonna die I'm just gonna die, the twins will kill me." She pulls the blanket over her head, trying to curl into herself as much as she could. It was at that moment, she felt a sharp pain, and something akin to a scream escapes her lips under the blanket.
|| She certainly wouldn't be making anything easier. True they ran the risk of her being found out by taking her to St Mungos, but he figured he could subvert those risks. He yanked on the blanket tugging it away from her, so he could drag her out of bed. Hell, he'd even levitate her if need be. Granted, he'd pass out as soon as they hit the doors, but it would be worth it. "Yes, He states simply, not listening to her ranting that came after a coughing fit. If anything, it just solidified his plan even further. "You're not going to die. Especially not if you let me take you to St Mungos. If I have to bribe or threaten someone, I will, but I will take you there, and you wil lbe fine."
|| A different kind of pain was attacking her, so much so that she couldn't even manage to fight back from him. She knew pretty quickly what was happening, but for some reason, this was so much worse than it once was. She screams again, before clasping her hand over her mouth. "Oh no," she groans in a muffled tone, before she immediately has to move her hand so she could actually try to breathe. She started to hyperventilate, her eyes rolling back. She was getting dizzier and the breath just wasn't coming to keep her conscious. But it was too early for this, right? There was still around a month to go before the twins were due, and yet... she was certain this was it. "No I am, I am dying, Dami..." She reaches her hand out to grip him once more, as if giving in to everything and no being able to fight him. "Its too late for St Mungos if the twins are going to come /now/ like they are." Her hand drops onto the bed, eyes fluttering open and closed, her hyperventilating over time turning softer, her breath shallower as it was barely coming from her lungs. She was definitely dying. She knew this, even if he didn't believe it. "Stay here with me," she croaks with what breath she had. "Please, please help me, I can't... they'll kill me..." Everything was swimming before her and he was blurry, everything was blurry, she felt like she was underwater. Again, the sharp pain hits, and her mouth opens with a gasp, unable to scream. This was it, this was it.
|| This was something Damien was unfamiliar with. He had a feeling what was going on, but that didn't make him prepared, nor did he know exactly what he could do, or what he should do. It was all something he wasn't familiar with. Granted, he had a daughter, but she was born after his first wife left him. It wasn't something he was involved with. He didn't even know she was even pregnant when she left. A sigh escapes his lips, trying to calm himself down. It worked for a moment before his brain jump-started into overdrive. What if their fears came true? What if she was dying... what if... It was a painful and inhibiting thought, that he forced out of his mind. She would live. She /had/ to. "You won't die. I promise that." He flicked his wand towards the door, summoning several potions from the storeroom. He figured it couldn't hurt to use some potions to numb the pain. He only had two, which could be a problem, but he figured it was a start. He could always summon the cauldron if he needed. Pulling the stopper from the bottle, he poured the contents into her mouth. "It might not work like the other ones, but maybe it'll help." She was right, it was far too late for St Mungos, but he'd still bring her there after. "Fine, but after I'm taking you there. A well placed bribe or threat can go a long way." if there even was an after. "I'll stay, just try to hold hope."
|| It was hard to hold hope when she could barely even hear the words her husband was telling her. For an hour after that she was still suffering with aching pains and her breathing was either far too fast or far too slow to be normal. A few times she spins in and out of consciousness, or she jerks in a spout of pain. Pregnancy was, perhaps, never healthy for a woman who was never healthy in the first place. At least with her first child she was capable of going to St Mungos. What was wrong with these twins? Why were they trying to kill her? Damien's potions helped slightly, but not nearly enough to really save her. How could Damien even still hold hope after an hour of this continuing? There would be no after. There was perhaps never any after. She might have known from the start this would kill her, and her only solace was that at least Lucedio hadn't been the one to do it. But of course, he'd still be happy it happened. The longer it went on, waiting for the twins, Chava's breath became practically nonexistent, shallowing out until she barely moved from it and it couldn't be heard. Sometimes she wondered if she really was still alive, and she just hadn't realized she had died yet. But that couldn't be true, because she still felt pain. Pain that was getting worse despite everything. But she didn't even have the breath to scream anymore. "Im sorry..." she manages, her eyes rolling back in her skull before just focusing on Damien. It wasn't until after the twins were born, both girls, both far too small and premature, and identical, did it all really hit Chava. She didn't even have time to think about the kids when she felt like her heart was stopping, beating slower until it just about hit a stop, her body freezing up, eyelids closing. Her breathing was nonexistent until it really did stop, and Chava was no longer conscious of anything around her. There was no light and no sound, and not a thing to think about. Dead. Dead, she had to be dead. She'd have felt guilty if she could.
|| He knew that she wouldn't believe his works, knew that she wouldn't have a grain of hope in her mind. It was how Chava worked. It wasn't something new, Chava's lack of hope. What was new was Damien's. One of them had always hoped for the other. That was the dynamic between them. Damien would fight for Chava, and Chava would fight for Damien. It was how they made things work. And when one had given up on hope, the other had plenty of hope to offset that. This time, Damien couldn't help but feel dread. It wasn't uncommon for women to die during pregnancy, though with Chava already having gone through childbirth, he once figured that she would live again. Now, in momento, he wasn't so sure. Death was always an inevitability. Especially when it came to him. So many people suffered, so many people died, why would Chava be any different? The hour that he sat there was long an arduous, feeling more like days or weeks, than an hour. The only thing that gave Damien any sort of solace was in listening to Chava's breathing. That at least let him know she was still alive. Even when it got shallow, and hard to hear, it kept him sane. Many times, he felt himself losing his mind into the many 'what ifs' that swarmed within. And every time he did, it took him a few moments to pull himself back. Though one time he found himself lost in the confines of his darker thoughts, it wasn't him dragging himself out to see she was still alive. It was her speaking. "Sorry?" He asked, blinking slightly, before raising his eyes up towards her. What did she have to be so- "NO!" His eyes caught her falling back, her breathing shallowing, before stopping altogether. His mind drove itself into overdrive with panic and fear. He rushed forward, cradling her up in his arms, tears beginning to fall from his eyes. Seeing her lying there... so lifeless... "Nononono!" He pressed a kiss to her cheek, as if hoping that would bring her back. "Please, no! Don't leave me alone." What was life worth living for if he had lost her? It was at that moment that he wanted to seek out Lucedio and beg for death just so he could join her, but that wouldn't be fair to Clover, to Aveline. To the twins. The twins... "Please... we need you. We... I love you. Come back."
|| For a while, the only other sound of life to be heard was that of the twins, screaming as any newborn was, momentarily forgotten by their father in the apparent death of their mother. But as in turned out, Damien would be the one to save her. Chava's breathing had stopped, her eyes closed and glassy underneath, and she couldn't sense or feel a thing. It was all black, all pain having left her in what was supposed to be her death. Yet still her heart worked hard to keep beating, to keep going, and had just stopped when something suddenly kept it going. Without two babies to dull the effects the healing potions might have had, the ones she had taken before left Chava barely able to cling to life. She had, perhaps, laid there in seeming death for ten minutes, twenty, who really knew? It felt like enternity. Then her heart beat once firmly, and then again, and again, until Chava woke, gasping loudly for the breath her lungs were finally allowing her. Her eyes slowly open, and she gasps so hard for that breath that she almost starts to hyperventilate all over again just to make sure she wouldn't lose it all again. She could barely say a word, and the next thing to register in her head was that she had been moved, and Damien was holding her, seemingly very distraught. Of course, he had thought her dead. She would have thought the same if she could have. She grips tightly onto his shirt, burying into him, now only thinking of him, and him only. She felt the strong need to comfort him, wipe away any tear, calm him down. "Shh, shh," she repeats when she finally could, when her breathing was evening out to something that more resembled normality.
|| For a long time, Damien sat there, his eyes shedding tears until they no longer could, until he had driven him to a numb state. Using a time spell would tell him that only twenty minutes had passed, but for him, the burden remained heavy on his heart as if he had spent an eternity suffering. He couldn't even react when Chava gasped out for air, settling it away in the back of his mind as a delusion. No, /his/ Chava was dead. She had died half an hour ago. It was either a delusion, or a cry from one of the twins. One or the other. It couldn't possibly be Chava. It wasn't until he felt something grabbing onto his shirt that he realized. "Chava!" The relief that flooded into his mind couldn't be compared to anything. In all of his years of life, in all his experience, he had never felt anything so mind-numbingly relieving as seeing Chava alive. He pressed a kiss to her lips. "Thank Merlin you're alive." In an attempt to drive his mind elsewhere, he jerks his head over towards the twins before saying, "We're gonna have to name the twins. I say we name one of them "Holyshitmommysalive". Nice ring to it, right?"
|| She did reach her hand out to gently brush against his cheek, as if to wipe away any tears, and to keep him calm, when his mind first realized she was still here. It surprised even herself, that she was alive. She had to have been dead, right? Unless this was some kind of afterworld or some sick trick on her dead mind. But she was never dead. And Damien, before her, was very much real and pleased to see her. She was alive, but weak, very weak, and holds close to Damien's body as she listens to him. She waited a while before she could speak, a smile flicking across her lips at his joke. And to think she hadnt even thought about naming the twins. "Those little fuckers tried to kill me," she mutters, making a joke herself, despite the fact it was, in one sense, very true. But still, seeing the two of them, her new daughters, gave Chava reason to smile, and want to hold them, really see them. Find the bits of them that would remind her of Damien, of herself, of who they looked like. And what to name them... She finally releases her grip on Damien's shirt to reach that hand out to the twins, as if signaling to Damien what she wanted. There was no way she could move much at all right now. "But its best not to think about what almost happened." That was for his own wellbeing, his happiness. It would better him to think on something else. "We should distinguish them before naming them, perhaps."
|| Life was fleeting. Life was special, and yet most people took it for granted. Damien could say for certain that he was one of those people before. Now, however, he could see how truly special and remarkable life was. It didn't make him want to murder less, nor did it make him want to walk up to Lucedio and start hugging him... Actually, stored that in his mind for something to do later. The sheer shock on his twin's face would be priceless. He might suffer with a few broken bones, but it would be well worth it. But what he appreciated about life was Chava's, their children's, even his own to some extent. But glancing over and seeing the twins gave him a new perspective on life. It wasn't something he'd been able to experience before, given that Clover was born after his first wife left him. "Goes to show that they'll fit right in with this family." he chuckles lightly, squeezing her hand. He glanced over towards the twins, before releasing Chava's hand. He moved over towards the children, picking them up, and moving the mover towards Chava, so she could see them. "I can only hope that 'self-cleaning diapers' are a thing, otherwise, we'll have to learn to deal with that sooner or later."
|| She took one of the twins from Damien, leaving him to the other, tilting her head to the side as she looked down at her. Once the two calmed down, and their eyes were open and she was staring up at her, Chava cracks a large smile. "Familiar eyes," she smirks at Damien. She considered it something of a miracle, that both twins were even still alive, after all Chava had been through while pregnant with them. They could have been injured or lost important things multiple times, but yet they hadn't. And much like Damien, this was something of a new experience for her. It wasn't long after Chava had given birth to Aveline that her then boyfriend had taken her and left. Chava had never gotten to see Aveline grow, really, hadn't even gotten to name the girl herself before she was taken. Now was her chance to do just that, but right next to Damien, whom she loved. "Names... I don't know if I'm any good with names. I never got to do it." She lies back against Damien, brushing her fingers over the small girl's head. She was happy, and it made her forget even her own near death moment. Perhaps suffering through that damn torture pregnancy was worth this. "Do you have any serious ideas?" she teases him.
|| Holding the child awkwardly, Damien smirks slightly at Chava's comment. He wondered idly what they would have of Chava's "They would have looked better with their mother's" He chuckles lightly before settling the child down in Chava's lap. He wasn't the clingy type of parent. Hell, he wasn't even the parent type of parent. These sort of things just happened. He was slightly that neither of the twins were male, but it wasn't too big of a deal. He could just figure something out later. It wasn't like the end of the "Thorne" name was a bad thing anyway. In some ways it was good. It meant there there would never be another Lucedio Thorne. When Chava brought up the subject of names again, he muttered to himself "Well that's one thing I got from my mother." They were both a stickler for making sure the names meant something. That was something he was denied with Clover. "For the one with the birthmark, I'm thinking Orianna. Orianna Zillah Thorne." He pointed towards the one he'd just put down. "And the other, Aurora. Aurora Cerin Thorne." he paused a moment before remarking the meanings. "Dawn, Shadow, Thorne. Dawn, Little Dark One, Thorne."
|| Chava grins at her husband, cuddling up to him with the twins in her arms. Orianna and Aurora Thorne. "I like it," she mumbles, sighing slightly, a little wistfully. Yes, she was happy, but this also brought a whole new set of concerns. The girls were targets to Lucedio. She knew anything that might hurt Damien was good enough for Lucedio, and what better to do than to not only target her, his wife, but also his daughters, who were too young to defend themselves? And what if the twins ended up with a relationship like that of Damien and Lucedio? Or they ended up so horrible they marked themselves as enemies again herself and their father? What if Chava herself was such a bad mother, as she always had been, that she'd never be able to have a decent relationship with either, let alone be capable of saving them from any harm? She sighs again, heavier this time, before leaning over both girls, and speaking just loud enough for Damien to hear. "I will be a damn good mother. I will protect you both at the cost of my own life. I promise to be around as you both grow up, walk, talk. I promise to do whatever I can to disguise myself so I can be there when you both get your wands and are off on the train to Hogwarts or are studying for yours OWLs. I promise to help with homework, first loves, bullies, fresh teenage girl drama..." She chuckles lightly at that, before her expression grows much darker. "I promise Lucedio will not be a problem for either one of you. I'll be around for you both." She tilts her head back to look at Damien then, eyebrows furrowed. "And for you," she tells him, pressing a small, gentle kiss to his jaw. "I'm really sorry for scaring you," she murmurs, needing to say something about what had happened. "I'm really sorry you had to go through that."
|| He could see in her eyes that she had the same sort of doubts that he did. There were just so many ifs that what would actually happen with the twins seemed more of a mystery than his own future. But there was something he doubted even she was thinking. He wouldn't bring it up, but if Lucedio had nearly died because of a disease, was it possible for one of them to get it too? Was it just an illness that Lucedio succumbed to, or was it a genetic fault? And if it was the latter, that would make him even more worried. A set of twins born to a twin. That had to be some incredible luck. Good or bad, he didn't know. But if there was one thing he was certain of is that he wouldn't bring up his doubts now. Lucedio didn't show any symptoms of what nearly killed him until two and a half. That was plenty of time. They could cross that bridge later, if there even was such a bridge at all. "I'm glad you do." He smiled lightly though it didn't quite reach his eyes. It was only made worse by her promise, which brought on even more what ifs. The most important one being, what if she couldn't keep her promise. What if she died before any of that. He would say not to make promises she couldn't keep, but he couldn't bring himself to say anything negative. "First loves? As if someone will want to date them when they'll have a sadistic and violent father standing behind them. "Hey Mr. Thorne, I'm taking your daughter on a--- you know what... never mind." He chuckles lightly, genuinely, before saying. "I can deal with scares fairly easily. Just not that type. But it's fine, you're alive. That's all that matters. Oh, and them too," he hastily adds with a nod to the twins.
|| She laughs genuinely at his words, and she knew that was exactly what she wanted. That was the kind of life Chava had began to hope and dream for. No Lucedio, and their only worry being silly things like the first loves of their daughters. "I'd say they might be prone to sneaking around, but they might gain my skills in subterfuge," she laughs again, curling close to him after laying the twins down to rest. Chava herself was rather exhausted, after the day's activities, and there was still no strength in her to do much of anything. It was a relief any potions now might work better. She buries her head into his neck, kissing it softly. "And I promise you that I'll never scare you like that again." It was a promise she couldn't guarantee could ever be kept, as it wasn't in her own control, but she didn't have to say that out loud. "I promise. I promise on... everything. I won't leave you. And if I do... blame me. Blame me and never forgive me for breaking my promise. Okay?" She tugs him down as if to lie down with her, waiting for an answer.
|| A chuckle escapes his lips, before smirking slightly. Everything seemed almost normal, and Damien was starting to believe he could handle a normal life. "They might be, but their father's pretty good at sneaking around himself. He grew up on it." He kisses her forehead, before taking a seat on the bed. He didn't want to say anything, didn't want to worry, but the way she kept bringing it up made him worry. She kept making promises, but as they piled up he worried more and more that she wouldn't be able to to keep them. There were things they couldn't control. Things they couldn't plan for, "Don't promise anything." He says, shaking his head fervently as she continued to speak. "And what if you die at Lucedio's hands. What if he manages to kill you without you even being able to fight back. If you walked out maybe I could blame you. But if you had no control..." he sighed lightly before pulling himself into the bed with her, "And that's the best you're going to get." With that he planted a kiss on her lips before saying. "Now rest. I'd say you've earned it."
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