A/N: I know... a horribly long wait. I am sure that you all are not all that interested in the writer's excuses, but I apologize. Hit a bit of a rough spot for a while there, sorry if it shows. Now, on with the good stuff. Llama: Thanks for reviewing! SingingStormWind: Weaned? From Ex and the gang? Well, I should hope not! Beth4Eva: Very, very close. (grins) Grumpirah: It was meant to confuse the audience. But I thought it was cute of him, to dream of the birth and the baby. Sofiya05: Yeah, I guess that Alec is a little bit... suspicious? But heck no would Adrillian be there! (shudders) I hate that guy... CK90: (sigh) Darling, you make a writer swoon! I love your reviews! They make me so happy! Questions are wonderful, and I would answer them here... except, most of them are answered in this chappie. So, read on and hopefully you'll be satisfied! FaithMiller: Very soon.... O.o AngelxNaomi: I know, my poor traumatized vampire!!! And darn that FP mailing list! (grins) Alexis LePlume: Hehehe. Maybe she does, maybe she doesn't. And I am not sure you'd hear a trumpet with his charge... maybe an organ.... hmmmm. FireSpirit44: Muahahhahaaa! You're so cute! I adore your reviews! You tell that sulking vampire. You hear that, Ex? Alec doesn't sulk! He's a good boy. And Trin would love to stay with you a while to teach him a lesson, I'm sure. DodgerMommy: I know. He's a greedy bastard, isn't he? No, no... don't go leaving him a bunch of reviews... he's ego is big enough as it is. And define 'one piece'? (grins) Alrighty... read on, everyone... and please, review.

Chapter Nineteen

Think, think, think! She told herself while spinning out pieces of energy to lay around the room and whatever lay outside of it. They would follow the energy, they would follow it to her. Calm down! She scolded. Think clearly, calmly. She looked to Adrillian’s unconscious form. Who knows how much time I have.

Her brow wrinkled and with a flick of her wrist, his limbs were tethered to the bed with heavy chains. Every second counts. Again she focused her power on spinning those little pieces of force that sparkled so brightly while her mind busily tried to contact anyone and everyone she knew.

Alec! She thought, abruptly. Alec!? Can you get in contact with anyone outside of here?

When there was no reply, she mentally chided herself. Come on, Trinity. What are you thinking? He isn’t even born yet. She shrugged off the feeling of dread low in her belly and went back to her previous task. She felt every second that ticked by and her anxiety grew. This would be her only chance to free herself. This would be her only chance to escape him.

With terror slowly mounting, she flicked her gaze back toward her tormentor and swallowed a sob. Oh goddess, please. Please help me to be free of this place. She prayed with all her heart and soul, putting every need and want into the wish. For my baby, my coven and my lover. Please save me.

And then she saw the movement and wavered on her feet as the brilliant green eyes opened. “Undo the chains, baby.”

EXEXEX

“Yes, yes.” He spat impatiently, “I have a lead.” Silence. “No, it will do you no good to ask me where it came from, Jonathan. Now get your ass over here. And bring your woman with you.” He cut off his brother’s reply by hanging up the phone. He was in the middle of dialing when it started to ring. “Yes?” Silence. “Shantarra, well it is nice to know that news travels swiftly within the coven. No, I am on my way right now.” A pause. “If you sincerely think that I am going to await your assistance before going in to save my wife, you are in for a severe disappointment.” A pause. A sigh. “Thank you, Tarra. But I will not wait for anyone. If you are there by the time I get there. Then I will welcome the help, if not…” … “Goodbye.”

He shoved a long fingered hand through his hair; he hated driving around looking for a place that he wasn’t even sure existed. But it was the only lead he had to go on. And it was a lead, never mind the unknown address or the way that the entire block was inactive, meaning he could not teleport. Not even if he knew where he was teleporting to. He growled. He could feel her. Almost smell her. But he couldn’t feel where she was. How close was he? How far…?

Please. Anything. A clue.

Tightening his grip on the wheel, Ex picked up his ringing phone.

EXEXEX

“Come on, baby. Undo the chains. I’m not mad.” He sent her a sunny and entirely plastic grin. “Trinity,” He purred, “Let me up.”

“Shut up, Adrillian.” She hissed at him, funneling more energy into taking down the shields he had constructed. Come on, come on, come ON! Someone! I’m here! Come and get me! She thought as loudly as she could, throwing bursts of power around the house.

“Stop it.” Adrillian commanded, his voice deadly. For a moment she paused and looked at him. She didn’t want to hear whatever it was that gave him the confidence to command her so. She didn’t want to know what pulled his mouth up into that gruesome smile. Unconsciously, her hand went to her belly.

“You’re going to let me up, Trinity. You’re going to let me up, or I am not going to give you the antidote.”

Her blood froze. “You’re lying.”

His grin spread, “Am I? Check. Use that gleaming power to verify it. Can you feel it, Trinity? I’m sure the kid can.”

With fear constricting around her heart, she leapt at him. Slamming her fist into his face over and over, she screamed at him. “Fix me!! Fix whatever it is you did!!!” His lips formed a bloody grin, “FIX MY BABY!” She cut her knuckles against his teeth and felt grim satisfaction as his nose gave way beneath her fist. She paused with her palm poised above his third eye, “I can destroy your mind with a single thought, Adrillian. I don’t need you, just your energy. Just a living drop of it and then I will kill you slowly, so slowly… you should have never fucking touched my child.”

“It’s keyed to me. You can’t undo it without me, Trin.” His voice was utterly confident but Trinity saw the spark of fear in his eyes. Her lips pulled up into a chilly smile, “Oh, I am going to enjoy killing you, you asshole. I only wish that Liam was here.”

Adrillian’s eyes took on a wild gleam, like an animal cornered with no way out except through the enemy. She belatedly thought to bind his power and even as she mentally said the incantation, he sent his power spinning outside of the room. Trinity’s brow furrowed, she was standing right in front of him… why the hell had he missed? Liam! She threw her power around the image that she conjured in her mind and prayed that it would work. Wasting no time, she turned on Adrillian and the energy that boiled on her skins surface cut into his flesh and burned.

Adrillian’s scream was the first thing that Ex heard upon entering the house, the rest of the coven on his heels, having teleported as soon as the residence was clear to him. Rushing toward the sound, Ex flung open the door to the room and flew like vengeance onto Adrillian.

“Liam!” Trinity rushed toward him, “Don’t kill him! DON’T KILL HIM!!” She pulled at the towering vampire, trying to get him away from the smaller man that he was pounding his fists into. She had to get him away before he turned to his power. “LIAM! Get OFF of HIM!”

“WHY!?” He spat harshly into her face, rage twisting his expression so severely she took a step back. “You can’t kill him because he did something to Alec. He did something to the baby.”

Lexie grasped Trinity by the shoulders, “What, Trin? What did he do?”

Eyes locked on the father of her child, she spoke over the lump in her throat. “Some sort of poison, keyed to his energy. Its slow acting, but we have to reverse it. Now. That’s why we need him alive. We need his energy.” She looked to Lexie, “Please, get Seril. She’ll know what to do.” Her glance flicked to Corra, “Can you bind him for me?” Her gaze returned to Liam again, “And you, please… hold us until she gets here.” She wavered on her feet, “I think I’m going to faint.”

Ex was there to catch her as she fell, as she knew he would be. He would always catch her. A small smile filled her drowsy eyes, “I’m gonna marry you.”

Ex smiled for her, he had to, fearing that if he didn’t, she would see his tears. “I’m going to hold you to that, my love.”

A tiny laugh passed through her as she slipped into oblivion, safe in the arms of her lover and Ex held her close.

EXEXEX

“Alec.” Trinity murmured, brushing the hair off of his forehead. “Wake up, baby.” She cradled him to her body, “Time for your medicine.”

One purple eye cracked open, “Bleah.”

Trinity smiled, “Ok, so no medicine. But I do want to know how you are feeling.”

“A little better. I don’t like that man. His energy alone was enough to make me sick.” Alec muttered with a frown.

“Why didn’t you tell me what he had done to you?”

“I couldn’t. Not allowed.”

“Damn-darn prophet clause.”

Alec smiled, “You ain’t seen nothin’ yet.”

She shook her head, “You’re daddy’s worried about you.”

The smile grew. “Daddy. Heh. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to call him ‘daddy’. Father. That suits him. And on the occasion… perhaps ‘dad’… but ‘daddy’? No.”

She grinned at him, totally charmed by the little boy that was hers. “And what will you call me?”

“You? You are my Mama. And Mother. But mostly, Mama.”

“Mama…” Trinity thought, considering it. “I guess I can deal with Mama.”

“Well then, I guess I can deal with Alec…”

They laughed together.

“He’s waiting for you. Father is.”

She hugged him tight, “You are feeling better?”

“Yes, much.” He kissed her cheek.

“Alright then. I love you, my Alec.”

“I love you as well, Mama.”

“Why do I keep waking up in this goddamn hospital bed?”

“It’s your fault that you keep landing yourself in the hospital.” Ex growled, eyeing her worriedly, but not wanting to come out and ask if she was alright. What a useless question it is. ‘Are you alright?’ Of course she is not. She was poisoned by a demented man and she’s pregnant on top of it. Alright. Bah.

It’s ok to be concerned. She’d appreciate knowing it, I bet.

Ex knew that voice, the voice so similar to his own. He smiled a bit, Why thank you for the advice, Alec.

Welcome you are, sir.

“Are you alright?”

Trinity pouted, “I’m in a hospital bed, what do you think?” When his expression turned to brooding, she smiled invitingly. “You know, this bed wouldn’t be so bad with one little element added.”

“Oh?” He grumbled, “And what would that be?”

“You. Come here.” She patted the bed next to her. “I’m tired and I need a vampire to snuggle with.”

“Oh, well I do believe that I can assist you with that.”

She cuddled up against him when he lay down on the bed next to her, “I just thought you might.” She sighed happily. “You know, I meant it when I said I’m going to have to marry you. Just wait until I get a ring, Liam… and then you are stuck with me.”

“A ring?” He held out his hand, empty palm facing upward. “Like this one?” He asked, as the ring he had created shimmered into sight. “Oh… wait. I cannot have this one. This one is for my wife.” He looked down, into her eyes. “For you, Trinity.”

My gods, how I love this man.

Is that a yes?

“Yes, Liam. That’s a yes.”

The ring slid smoothly onto her finger and glittered with light and power. “I will love you always. No matter what happens.”

She grinned, “Damn straight. You don’t have a choice.”

“Don’t I?”

“Nope.”

“Well, I don’t know how I feel about that.”

“Well, if we weren’t in this room, I’d tell you how you feel about that.”

He grinned. “Oh would you?”

She nodded. “Took you long enough.”

“What?”

“The girls and I were taking bets on how long it would take.”

“Who won?”

“Tarra.”

Ex balked, “Figures.”

She chuckled, “You know… marrying me means that, in a sense, you are marrying my sisters too.” She eyed him, suspiciously. “Can you handle that?”

He rubbed his chin in mock-thought. “I don’t know… marry Lexie? That could be a little more than what I signed on for…”

“Just keep on it, mister and I’ll sick Seril on you.”

A shudder raced through his body and had her doubling over in laughter. She hugged him tightly and felt the emotions rise up into her throat. “I love you, Liam. I really do. And I’d love to be your wife.”

He pressed a kiss to her temple, “We’ll fight like cats and dogs.”

She waved a hand, “I’d hate to be bored for the rest of eternity.”

He looked her straight in the eye, “I know that I am not the easiest person to get along with. We will fight, and more often than not I will be the one to start it… I am not quick to apologize and it is near impossible to make me back down. I am possessive and extremely jealous. A vow to me means forever and I will accept nothing sort of that, Trinity. I gave my heart to you and I will not see you discard it at any point. I will demand your love and your attention, even if there are times where you do not wish to let either show.”

Trinity smoothed a lock of raven hair behind his ear, “You aren’t telling me anything new. I know you, Liam and I love you. Faults and all. Nothing you say can change that.” She smiled and kissed him softly. “So don’t waste your breath,” she advised, over a yawn.

“Alright, my cariad. I shall waste my breath no more. Sleep, my little witch. Sleep now and dream of me. Of the life we will lead and the child we share. Sleep, Trinity. Sleep.”

The simple spell in place, he climbed from the bed and ran a fingertip along her cheek. “You’ll forgive me, my love. But I simply must do this.”

She was sound asleep as he disappeared.

-

A/N: Hmmmmmmmm. Where's he off to? Guesses anyone? (cackles) Tune in until next time, when Ex- wait. I can't tell you now. Hehehe.

- Cat