Broken Reality

Willow finds herself waking up, early, almost too early – or it would be, if she actually needed to sleep. She slips out of bed, careful not to disturb Alaric, and walks downstairs, grabbing the laptop to start looking through websites. She would love to go out and shop properly, but she’s still in hiding from the people who think she’s dead, so if they see her alive – and as a vampire, no less – will cause a war. Plus, if Zander is right, any physical activity like shopping is likely to push her into labour, and she’d rather prolong that for as long as she can. She finds herself shopping online for hours, lost in a magical wonderland full of cots and pushchairs and playpens, and before she knows it six o’clock hits and Alaric walks down looking at her confused. He’s still in the worn jogging bottoms he’d slept in, and his hair has been artfully mussed by the pillows.

“Guessing you didn’t sleep?” He walks