Brayden made his way down the hall to where he remembered his parent's room had been. The door flung open and a dark chocolate skin toned woman smiled with absolute joy flowing out of her. Brayden gazed at the small fragile woman before meeting her caramel eyes. He saw the brown ring slowly turn around her caramel circles before tears filled her eyes. "Hi, mom." That was all Brayden could say before he was pulled into the room. "Sit sit. Have you eaten? James... your father... sorry it's just been too long. I know how you've been but please tell me you know I can't truly see everything. Where did Lilliana go, weren't you too just out by the lake? Don't tell me Miriam took her away! You two have just as much processing as we mothers have a want for catching up." Brayden just waited for her to take a breath before he answered.

"Shit!" Miriam fell to the ground in pain, before basically yelling. "You said a little pain. This is not a little pain!" "Well, would you have come if I said it would be bad?" Brayden watched as Miriam curled herself in a ball from the pain. His eyes drifted to Lilly standing by the window looking outside at the falling snow. He made his way over wrapping his hands around her waist and pulling her into his embrace before whispering. "I told you not to let go." "I know, but I had to see what day it is." Lilly gently replied continuing to watch the snow casually fall with no other care in the world. "Okay, where are we?" Miriam had gained her strength back and was walking toward the window. "When" Lilly and Brayden mumble

Rubbing her eyes Lilly forced her eyes to focus on the red ceiling of her room. Blinking away the fog she realized where she was and began to silently cry again. She rolled to her left side pulling her legs to her chest as she continued to cry. It had been 50 years. That's right basically 2 lifetimes since they lost the child. Not just any child their child, her child, little sweet perfect Niamh. They first went back trying to save her but found it actually caused a worse fate for mankind than was worth saving one child. Even if that one child was their own. The thought of all the lives they had lost made the pain inside too much to handle. Eventually, the tears stopped coming and her face was stuck to the tear-soaked pillow. How could the man who was supposed to protect her more than anything use her and her daughter to kill others? A man who had done nothing but protect her all her life. Were all the 'close calls' actually him trying to use her to e

"So what you're saying is the bastard's hand twitched BEFORE you left the room but you still left him without telling me to come here?" Ivan was standing still staring at the empty blood-stained bed. Exhaling James paced by the door trying to piece everything together. "I said I wasn't sure if it was a twitch or if it was blood falling. But you know how Miriam is, she..." "I know she gets hysterical especially when she is in shock. Claire is with her now so she'll be fine. You would think the woman born from the worst belligerent man ever known would have some thicker skin." Ivan scoffed as he leaned in to take a closer look at the IV that was once attached to the supposed-to-be corpse. "Sadly I think watching her mother be killed by that man is what made her actually fear everything. It is a miracle she was able

The tears again began to fall as she thought of the poor child she had raised in secret. This man had used her to get to her sister then claimed he was helping end the war by causing a bigger conflict. He played everyone even her sister who ended up killing herself over the betrayal. Veronica moved away from the bed wincing at the pain as she moved to grab the syringe. She had refused to do this but couldn't imagine letting this man live. Veronica's movements were slow but precise and she knew exactly what needed to be done. Knowing the pain she feels now is nothing compared to what she will feel later only makes her movements slow almost to a total stand still. "She loved you, ya know?” Veronica paused only moments to let the words sink in before she hastily added, “Actually, we both did. Pretty foolish. Even knowing the pain you would put us through, we both still chose to love you. We gave everything f