Harlee POV
My face was already flooded with tears before the screaming started, but once it began, it took everything in Zeev, Ash and Sam to hold me back. Sands was in such pain! How could they just stand there?! And then I felt more than saw it-the glow that floated towards me. The three Demons let me go as it impacted with my chest and knocked me backwards into Zeev. He caught me with a huff, but we still hit the wall. And I felt it-I felt Sands' pain, emotional and physical and it nearly crippled me, so I did the only thing I could think to do and ran straight into the glowing mess that surrounded Sands until I found him and wrapped my arms around him tightly.
Zeev POV
We were all yelling Harlee's name as she ran into Sand's Core. It pulsed brightly as she disappeared and I held up a hand to block the extra light. Then it started to fade, and there she was, her arms wrapped around a crouched and nude Sands, who was shaking, sweating and still crying softly. Harlee rocked him as she would a child, and he wrapped his arms around her tightly, making her gasp. As he calmed, Harlee tried to withdraw, but instead, Sands swiftly lifted her from the ground and strode from the room.
Harlee POV
Another contraction rocked through me. Sands quickly laid me out on the bed. In a minute he was dressed and had towels, Zeev and Ash in tow.
"I don't think so." Sands was saying. "... I think this was my fault. I think my Fall may have prompted an early delivery. I thought she had about two weeks left, maybe the Nephilim.." I screeched, cutting them off.
Zeev POV
I was forced to completely barricade my mind against Harlee as her waves of contractions had me groaning and gripping my lower torso as well.
"You better hope she can deliver your giant monster baby." Ash snarled through gritted teeth. We were five hours into the labor and Ash seemed to be taking it personally.
"Is your barricade weak, my kin?" I chuckled and Ash snarled again. Honestly, Harlee's pain resonated through my barrier as well. I just had a better poker face. Only Sands seemed to notice when I would stiffen suddenly, but he never made a comment.
Harlee POV
"Harlee, we're going to have you crouch now. It'll make things easier on you." Sands soothed, then called for Sam. "You'll be a little safer to support her." Sands murmured as Zeev and Ash helped me off the bed to my protests. I just wanted to sleep, if the pain would let me for a little while. Sands was coaxing me gently and Sam gripped me under the arms. Ash and Zeev held my hands and ribs and Sands shifted my feet apart as the next squeezing pain tore through my abdomen.
Zeev POV
Harlee was cursing under her breath between quick pants.
"I'm tired Sands, I'm really tired." She gasped.
"I know baby, but in just a very little while your baby boy will be here. Don't you want to meet him?" Sands soothed. He checked her progress and nodded grimly to me. "Harlee, breathe."
Harlee POV
"Breathe.."" I began to ask, what did he think I was doing? And the next pain rocked through me and I could tell this time, it was almost over. The pressure increased and I moaned.
"Ok Harlee, next one I need you to close your eyes, things are going to get a little bright in here... Nephilim do like to announce themselves." Sands called. I panicked.
"What?" I asked quickly, but it was too late, my body shrieked at me and I tossed my head back, closing my eyes as the room lit up like there was a solar flare.
Zeev POV
Ash and I gently cleaned Harlee while Sands handled my son. My son. I couldn't stop thinking it or saying it. He was a gorgeous little fellow with light caramel skin and soft, dark wavy hair. He hadn't cried but looked at us all individually as if placing us in his memory. Sands had immediately circled his wrist with his thumb and forefinger.
"I had an agreement with your mother to protect you before you were born. That Contract still stands with you. She has paid the price for you." Sands murmured and a small silver chain appeared around the child's wrist. He blinked and looked at me. Recognition flitted through my mind.
"Yes it's me, son. I'm your father." I murmured, reaching for our child. Sands handed him off to me. I sat next to Harlee on the bed.
"Let me see him." Harlee said softly, reaching out. The babe's entire attention was automatically drawn in her direction, and he emitted his first sound plus an impatient wiggle. I smiled slightly. Seems the love of Harlee extended even to the youngest of our little group. I turned and placed our son in her outstretched arms. Her eyes welled up with tears. "Hello baby." She whispered then looked at me. "He looks just like he did in my vision of him. except his eyes were lighter, more like mine." She burst into true tears, and the baby squirmed. Ash cupped the child's head and brought the babe closer to her chest to help calm them both, hugging her gently.
"He looks just like you Zeev!" Ash smiled softly. Harlee took a shuddering breath and agreed.
"Now the question is, what are we calling everybody? Ash? I was kinda stuck on Zaza or Baba for you.."
Harlee POV
Ash's expression seemed to glitch like a faulty computer program. Zeev started to chuckle a low, deep rolling laugh that enveloped the room. Sands sat on the edge of the bed with a small smile.
"You want to call me a parent?" Ash asked breathlessly.
"Well let's face it, our three minds are connected now, so we function almost as one anyway, and we've gotten damn close." Zeev commented.
"I'm claiming Momma." I declared and Ash giggled softly.
"Zaza is sort of closest to Ash, so I think I prefer that." Ash said shyly.
"Zaza it is then!" I leaned over and kissed Ash, then grimaced as my sore torso complained. "What about you Zeev? Papa?"
"Knowing Zeev it'll be 'father'. All stiff and formal like." Ash stage whispered to me and I suppressed a giggle. Zeev looked at his son clasped in my arms. The warm bundle was amazing and beautiful. He had just the slightest scent of cinnamon to him, but it was mingled with a sweet fragrance that made him smell like a pie or tart of some kind. It nearly overpowered the baby smell.
"I think Papa would be beautiful." Zeev said with a hitch in his voice. I met his eyes and there was so much love in them I thought my heart might break.
"Sands? Do you have a preference?" I turned to him next.
"Would it offend you overmuch if I had him call me Uncle, my Brother?" Sands asked Zeev softly.
"Never." He responded, clasping Sands' shoulder.
"Sam?" I asked, looking at him expectantly. He was hovering near the foot of the bed.
"Uncle will be fine with me if you'll allow it, but Harlee, I'm afraid there's one more thing I must do that is going to upset you very much." Sam shifted from one foot to the other.
"Then don't do it." I growled.
"He has no choice." Zeev sighed, gently taking our baby from my arms.
Zeev POV
"Zeev?" Harlee asked curiously as I walked towards Sam with the child. Sam immediately dropped to his knee in front of us.
"No!" Harlee gasped and Sam looked at her with pleading eyes as he extended a hand to lay gently on the boy's head.
"As promised before you were born, we are now Bound. I shall be your protector, your shield and sword, Bound for eternity to your service." Sam murmured.
"His soul! He's too young! An innocent! Pure! Please no!" Harlee screamed as Ash and Sands held her back. The burden of Sam's Corruption immediately halved, now split between Harlee and our son.
"No! NO!" She sobbed. "He's a BABY!"
"He's a Nephilim." Ash soothed. "He'll be ok Harlee, he's much more powerful than any of us in this room." A small gold band wrapped around our son's ankle and Sam gently touched it, and the Mark arced back along their Bond. Sam hissed slightly and pulled back his shirtsleeve. The snake that wound around his lower arm baring its fangs at the world now had a sword clutched in its coils.
"What does it mean?" Sam asked. I shrugged.
"You'll have to ask him when he's older I guess." I walked back towards a silently crying Harlee with our baby.
Harlee POV
"I'm sorry Harlee, but there's one final bit of business to attend to before we can let you rest." Sands murmured to me. "The matter of our Bond." I tried to staunch the flow of tears, but it was useless. Sands reached out a hand and softly brushed my cheek.
"It's ok, I understand. Let me get this out of the way so you can recover, hmm?" Sands asked me and I nodded. Zeev sat down and squeezed my hand, still holding our newborn son tightly to him.
"From now to the end of time, I pledge my services to you Harlee. I shall protect, love, follow, obey, defend, fight for and care for you. I offer you all that I am, and ask only that you allow me to continue my duties as an Angel of Death. I have no Corrupted Heart to offer you at this time. My Grace and Core are still fully intact, but I still maintain a Fallen Status. Will you accept this Bond between us regardless?" Sands asked softly. I smiled slightly at him and leaned my forehead against his.
"Yes Sands, I accept." I responded and with a flash of light and a grunt from Sands, a solid connection formed between the two of us. I already trusted Sands because I'd known him for so long, so the Bond was instantaneous and strong. What was once a silver chain around my wrist became a silver cuff, a loud pronouncement of Sands' Bond. It was shaped like two Angel feathers with a heart in the center. The feathers bent around my wrist, the heart portrayed front and center. Sands reached out a finger and stroked it.
"Because you are the Heart of my Divinity." He said softly, and I shuddered as the warmth and light I felt rebounded on him. He sucked in a breath and pulled his white Tee away from his chest. Over his heart was a stunning silver shield.
"What does this mean?" He asked me.
"I feel safe with you." I said with a blush. "You always protect me, body, heart, mind and soul. Even now, with this Bond, I can feel it already. I just want to protect you too. Protect your right to love. Protect your heart. I guess that's how that manifested." I finished sheepishly, looking down at the blanket. I didn't anticipate the tight squeeze Sands would pull me into, or the results it would have on my body. First pain, from my midriff, then a growing wet stain on my shirt and I gasped. Sands withdrew quickly with an apology.
"No, no. More of that later please. Enthusiastic hugging is a yes, but maybe after I've healed a bit.." I suggested with a wince and Sands looked apologetic.
"Mistress I apologize.." I groaned cutting him off.
"Not you too. No 'Mistress'! Just Harlee!" I demanded.
"Ok then.. Harlee.." Sands looked like he was choking on the name. "I've been a fool, here.." Sands' gentle touch of the cuff on my arm meant instant relief of all my pains from the birth of my son. I gasped.
"Is that even legal? Wait, I shouldn't care, did you just heal me Sands? I feel so sorry for every other woman who doesn't have an Angel on tap twenty-four/seven." I blushed as I rushed through it, and then it hit me. "Wait Sands-don't burn through your Grace for me!" I yelped.
"I'm not-remember-" He turned my wrist over. "You're guarding my Divinity."
"I can't pretend that I understand this." I muttered and the four Demons laughed.
"Well in the meantime, I know somebody who'd be happy to help you with the spill you had." Zeev commented, looking at my shirt and holding out our son. I blushed.
"Nice and subtle Zeev." Ash rolled their eyes.