Chapter Twenty-Three: A Dual Surprise

Artica:

The ball was out of the option, my new goal was stealing all of her files. Of course they had to be paper to be hacker proof from my team. Gathering up my bag of supplies, Sage tickled my side. His mask sat on the top of his head, Alfred and Sunny waited patiently behind them. Stepping onto a box, we had to leave Sage's bike behind for the raid on the capital's library. Examining their uniforms, their masks rested on top of their heads. Clearing my throat, their eyes fell on me.

"We aren't going to the ball but the capital's library. We need to sneak in through the front gate and sneak our way into the library. Why are we going?" I said with raw intensity, spinning my staff in my palm. "We need to know every little thing about our new enemy. It is best not to go in blind. So let's do this!" Mouse popped up with a virtual map in her hands, pushing a button. Spreading out the map with my hands, I pointed to a certain wall.

"Ash found an ally to create a hidden door. Don't worry about them, they had a mask on their face. Once we get the paper, we will run to the church which they cannot enter. We will claim sanctuary where I will use a spell to create a portal home." I explained calmly, everyone nodding. "I will warn you. Even though ninety percent of the officers will be at the ball waiting for us, we will have to fight our way out. The clock will be ticking. I don't want you to kill anyone unless you have to. Knock them out. Do we understand? If you do, we need to head out to get there in time." Putting my hand out, their hands stacked on top of mine. Raising them in the air, we let out a cheer. Ruffling Mouse's hair on the way out, the rest of the team had to stay behind to guard the bunker. Wolfston and Blizzard will be extra eyes the moment she hacks into the officers' chips on the maps. Steph is still in recovery so she will come out on the next mission. Is that okay, my dear?" Steph shot a thumbs up, her body was plugged into her charger. When I got back I had to give her a rechargeable battery. Gathering by the ladder, Tatty held out new headsets. Plopping them onto our heads, her arms wrapped around my waist. Ruffling the top of her head, her head snuggled into my shoulder. Dilly sprinted down the hall with his bag on his back, an apologetic smile on his face. Late like always I thought to myself.

"Sorry I am late." He yelled down the hall, skidding to a stop. "What do I do?" Pulling my mask down along with the others, his mask spun on his palms. Shrugging my shoulders, everyone was here. Climbing up the ladder, Sage took my bag. Pulling myself out, my eyes scanned the land around me for any enemies. Whistling, a raven landed on my shoulder. Wrapping a note around his leg, this would be the signal for my arrival in the church. Sending her off, she knew to avoid any danger. Everyone stood behind me, Dilly covering up the trap door. Pressing my palm to it, a black seal locked it in place. Only a touch from me would break the spell, Sage popping up behind me. Kissing the top of my head, I attempted to take my bag. Alright, if he wanted to help me out he could. He had that determined look in his eyes, my eyes rolling. His stubborn streak wasn't one to forget about, a fuzzy feeling swelling inside of me.

"No way, Arty." He denied me with his crooked grin, placing them both on his left shoulder. "I am assuming that we have to camp overnight somewhere." Turning back to everyone, this reminded me of the days when I had a full blown team. My chest tightened, a slight panic attack threatening to rear its ugly head. Focus on something else to quell your nerves I told myself. Tucking a piece of hair behind my ear, their weapons hung in their hands. A partial smile twitched on my lips, everyone gazing upon me with the utmost respect.

"Sage is right. Around dusk, we will camp in whatever remains are the safest for the lot of us. Unfortunately, we will have to walk about fifteen miles by the end of the day. I have many apologies for you." I announced with a polite smile, the blind faith in me was alarming. Hours passed of no monsters or stray officers, only five more miles were left. Pulling up the map, Sage popped up next to me. Expanding it in a different direction I was going, his loving gaze falling on me as he passed me a veggie wrap. How could he be so annoying but irritating at the same time.

"You need to eat more than us." He asserted sweetly, pointing to a set of remains a couple miles to the west. "If we shift our direction a bit, we can cut out ten miles. The one downside is the level of monsters in this set of directions. We would be battling it out all day. Is that fine with you guys? Even with the fights we would cut off about half a day." My ears pinned back, jealousy flashed in my eyes. His plan was better than mine, my tail twitching with irritation. Putting the map away, I was supposed to be the captain. Folding my arms across my chest, Sage lifted my chin with his finger, his lips kissed mine hungrily.

"Calm down, you are still the captain." He teased playfully, my expression softening. "I was only making it easier for my pregnant wife. You tend to forget that you are pregnant once you get deep into a mission. We can cut down the monsters for you while you keep us going. This is your chance to prove that you trust us after all. On top of that you are very sick and still haven't recovered." Ignoring my growing fever, a clammy sweat drenched my skin. Blood pooled from the corner of my lips, his words striking true. Two miles was better than five, Sage passing his bags to Dilly, and placing me on his back. Resting my head on his shoulder, my staff shrank back down. Tucking it into my boot, I could only look ahead. Focus on something else I barked venomously to myself once more.

"I know you are sick." He whispered discreetly, passing me back a tissue. "I am assuming that you won't be sleeping tonight." He wasn't wrong, the lining of my stomach burned something fierce. Fishing around his pocket, he dropped a candied piece of that new root into my clammy palm. Digging my fingers into his shoulder, the damn candy would put me to sleep.

"I don't want to go to sleep." I protested bitterly, barely above a whisper. "I need to protect you." A snarl twitched on his lips, a quiet fury raged into his eyes. Low growls rumbled in my throat, now wasn't the time for me to sleep. Taking it from my palm, he popped it into my mouth. Chewing it, the bitter taste did little to save me from my stomach pain. My vision blurred, sweet slumber stealing me away.

Stars twinkled over me, my stomach pain having doubled. Wincing in pain as I sat up, Sage and Alfred were on watch duty. Blood dripped from the corner of my mouth, my vision blurring with every crawl to my bag. Dropping the ground before I reached it, Sage glanced back at me. Panic twisted his face, my body aching as I made it to my bag. Knocking my bag down, I made sure not to wake Sunny. One of my vials rolled towards me, Sage scooping it up in his palm. He popped the cork, the deep worry in his eyes scaring me. Helping me to sit up, he poured the liquid down my throat. My vision blurred, sweet slumber stealing me away once more. Snapping awake, panic gripped my face at the growing pool of blood underneath my face. The pain had tripled, a migraine throbbed violently. Unable to move, I had officially become a burden. Sage and Sunny were weaving a basket, confusion twisting my features. Too weak to speak, the agony had never been this bad before. Pushing the button on the headset, Wolfston's voice came on.

"I need you to explain something to me." I wheezed, shivering in my place. "Is the fact the that I am pregnant fucking up my system? Be real with me." Hesitation rested in her voice, the channel switching on its private channel. Clearing her throat, she struggled to find the words.

"You are experiencing the symptoms of the first stage of labor." She explained calmly, flipping through a pile of papers. "Here it is. Your mother's pregnancy started out normal and then it sped up beyond human speed. On top of that you haven't let your wounds heal from your recent battles with Mink. My point is that you will probably end up giving birth at the church once you arrive after the raid on the library." Gritting my teeth, I still needed to be able to move.

"What can I take to numb the pain?" I queried urgently, Sunny finishing up the basket. "I need to get to the library while the ball is going on. That is when the security will be the most relaxed." Clutching my bump, it had been growing rapidly. No contractions had yet to begin, Sage slammed a body size basket down in front of me. Leaning on the stiff weaving work, he opened the top. Scooping me up, he placed me in the basket. Protests flooded from my lips, a flick to my forehead shutting me down.

"Listen, you are clearly sicker than you last said. We can't have you seen." He uttered sweetly, tracing my cheeks. "Relax. We will let you out at the library. Here's a book to keep you occupied and some snacks if you want them." Gripping the edge of the basket, a snarl twitched on my lips. Low growls rumbled in my throat, a stern look making my ears pin pack. He didn't need to know that I was in labor, the guilt beginning to eat me alive.

"You don't have a choice. You can't even walk." He continued bitterly, his eyes narrowing in my direction. "You're hiding something from me. I will find it out. So behave for once in your life." Shoving my head into the basket, his nimble fingers tying it shut with a brown leather strap. Light flickered in between the rows of weaved desert straws, my hands resting on my knees. Sage could have his way for now, the leather straps groaning as he tugged on the basket. The bouncing up and down did little to ease my nausea, my hands covering my mouth. Picking up the book, it was a compilation of all of my surrogate family's information. Resting my head on my hands, the first page fluttered open. Seeing Sage's neat writing compiling everything he knew about everyone, each of their lives unfolding in front of me. Wolfston telling me how to manage the pain drowned out the chaos of them taking down the monsters along the path, my hand trembling on her page.

"I am so sorry about all of those gang members dying." I apologized with a tiny whimper, tearing up at the devastation. "I meant to save them all. We can seek out your family when we get back and integrate them with the bunker towns. I was the one who guided them to the Badlands in the first place." Leaning against Sage's back to relieve the weight of me, a fresh layer of guilt ate at my soul.

"You couldn't stop it but I don't think Alfred did all that." She pointed out simply, flipping through the pages. "I think it was an officer with a flame gun. I looked at pictures of the incident and it doesn't look like his flames. Mouse had hacked into the video camera and it wasn't him. If I am being honest, Alfred had barely done anything bad. I am willing to bet that Steph put him up to that show in the caves. All of his evil deeds must have been false. I am willing to bet they were arguing about how to spin the tale of that day. I am afraid to ask Steph myself but she is still charging. Thank you for locking me up that day. I would have died and never met with Steph once again. How is it that you understand me more than anyone else?" Smiling softly to myself, her question was adorable. She didn't know it but I remembered her from the lineup of children that I fed all those years ago. Her love of science and medicine set her apart, my own heart skipping a beat.

"I stole your file a couple years ago." I lied with embarrassment burning my cheeks, my trembling finger tucking a piece of hair behind my ear. "They kept saying how much of a temper you had when it involved your family members. I know we don't always get along but I also know how protective a wolf can be. You are a part of my pack, you know." Chuckling to herself, she began to tell me about how she grew up taking care of her little brother and how she worked as a street worker to pay her way through school. The trauma shook her voice until a sentence stunned me out of my tears.

"That was when Steph saved me from an abusive John. She took me under her wing and paid for my school. At first I offered her my body in payment but she refused repeatedly. Instead she treated me like a human, referencing the police chief Artica as her hero." She gushed with pride in her voice, the image of her cupping her face while squirming flashing in her head. "Every battle she fought with you was just a front to cover her ass. Please forgive her if you haven't." Golden light flooded the basket, a blood soaked Sage pulled me out of the basket. Struggling to stand, the first contraction wracked my body. Standing straight, no one could know. Pushing through the contractions, my boots pounded down the hall. Shrill alarms blared, my chest tightened with fear. Spinning on my heels, my fingers wrapped around my staff. Lighting crackled uncontrollably around my arm, my teeth gritting together. Shit, this fucking hurts. Why did my powers have to misbehave now!

The white team descended on the library, my staff blocking half of their attacks. Everyone else was occupied, my lips mouthing a silent spell. Water flooded into the chamber as warm water soaked my leg. Snapping my fingers, my companions leapt off the floor. Jamming the end of my staff into the water, lightning cooked the officers into burnt husks. One of their shoulder walkie talkies went off, my boots splashed through the water. Picking it up, my eyebrow twitched at Mink's voice. Every cell in me wanted her dead, my hatred mixed with frustration.

"Did you get rid of the threat?" She demanded hotly, her wicked laughter rumbling in my ear. "Answer me!" Clearing my voice, the dead bodies floated by me in receding water. Snapping my fingers, my voice matched his. Crouching down, my trembling fingers curled around the device.

"They are all dead." I bragged gleefully, Sage and the others watching from the top of the shelves. "We are going to blow up the library now to hide the evidence. Signing off." Rising to my feet, the shelves held me up. Water splashed as they landed in the water, Sage watched on with concern. Limping over to the safe, I slammed the tip of my staff into the keypad. My lightning fried the chip, the door swinging open. Tossing her files to Sage, my wet eyes fell on the books behind me. Mouthing a silent spell, they disappeared in a puff of smoke. Blood poured from my nose, Mouse yelled in my ear.

"What the hell is with all of these books!" She shouted furiously, wicked laughter rumbling in my throat. "You have so much explaining to do." Ignoring her, I turned back towards Alfred. Sage picked me up and dropped me in his basket, his loving gaze shifting into a look of pure fury. What the fuck was that? Before I could answer, a steady stream of curse words flooded from my lips at a particularly violent contraction. Clammy sweat drenched my skin, another contraction made me thankful that I was in his basket. His expression softened at my pain, my hand squeezing his.

"Set this place on fire on the way out." I choked out, Alfred looking apprehensive. "She needs to know that I mean war against her. Take me to the church so I can have my twins. Mouse, I need you to guide them to the church. I-. Fuck this!" Taking off my headset, I couldn't handle the noise. Curling into a ball at the bottom, Sage's words faded in and out. Exhaustion hung on my eyelids, rough darkness stealing me away.

A sharp jolt of pain shocked my body, the morning light bathed a spare room in the church. The twins cooed next to me, Sage resting his head on the bed. Funny, I don't remember giving birth to them. A dull throbbing pain replaced the initial jab, my body feeling like a truck had hit me. Sitting up gingerly, an eager Sage popped his head up. Clutching me close to his chest, his lips brushed against the top of my head. Cupping my face, it hit me that our twins had been born. Sobbing uncontrollably, he wiped my tears away.

"I kept you barely conscious enough to deliver them. Father Ash said that you could stay as long as you want. He told the people that you are still alive but to keep it quiet. The television flickered on, Mink stepping up to the worn podium. A furious snarl twitched on her lips, her fists banging on the splintering wood repeatedly. Her onyx Lolita gown hugged her body, making her look younger than she was. Her ears flattened, her claws digging into the wood.

"The White Vixen is still alive and has escaped! She thundered darkly, spit raining from her mouth. "If you are watching this, I got your message of war. Don't worry. I will keep the citizens out of it but I will squeeze you out. You damn foxes are really sly little creatures begging to be eaten. I will hunt you down and roast you up. Then the people will feast upon her body." Horror widened my eyes, the image of the burnt remains cut over her. Swinging my feet over the edge of my bed, I tugged on my skirt. Watching it fall to the ground, dismay dimmed my face. My legs were shaky but I could walk at least, my eyes falling on my ribs poking out slightly underneath my skin. Shame dimmed my eyes, my stomach feeling better than it had in a long while. Glancing around, my eyes fell on the spare robes lining the wall. Snatching one, Sage watched with his loving gaze. Pulling on over my shoulders, my trembling fingers struggled to tie the golden robe. Sage leapt to his feet, tying it for me. Milk dripped from my sore nipples, my heart fluttered at the sight of my twins. A sage haired fox boy wiggled next to his sister, his fluffy fox ears poking out of the poofy fluff of his hair. A sage left eye glittered with love, the inky right eye standing out against his porcelain skin. My eyes fell on the ivory haired bunny girl, her onyx cotton ball tail stealing my breath away. Matching bunny ears lay against her porcelain face, both of their black lips curled into adorable smiles. Scooping them into my arms, Sage held me up by my waist. Sage really was my rock at the most important times.

"Let me do the portal home today so you don't strain yourself." He offered sweetly, his lips brushing against the nape of my neck. "What are we naming them, Arty?" Focusing on my daughter's inky left eye and then her ruby right eye, a couple of names came to mind. Pressing my lips into a thin line, a triumphant grin spread on my tired face. Leaning into his arms a bit, Sunny and Alfred hovered in the door.

"I think Renard Snowball for our boy, and Lapine Serenity for our girl." I suggested cautiously, bringing our children to my chests. Sucking on my nipples, the relieving of the pressure felt freeing. Not caring that the siblings had seen me feed the twins, I waited with bated breath for Sage's answer. Beaming with pride, he spun me around as they released my nipples. Pulling my robe back into its proper place, his hands cupped my face. Kissing my lips feverishly, he sat us down on the bed.

"I love it, Arty!" He proclaimed with a wide grin on his face, irritation hid behind his smile. "Please rest instead of getting right back to work. We have some time. I am going to pack our things. Please stay still." Father Ash burst through the siblings hovering in the door as Sage headed out, pure joy lighting his face up at our twins. My favorite cake rested in his hands, tears stained his cheeks. Setting the cake down, his warm embrace melted my heart.

"I am so proud of you." He gushed jovially, his gray curls tickling my neck. "Do you mind if I bless them? I want them to have divine protection." Holding them out, he pulled out a vial of Holy Water from his pocket. Dabbing his finger, he drew a cross on their foreheads. Pressing his palm together, his sleeves of his white ceremonial robes danced in a slight breeze. A golden light bathed his body, his lips moved in a silent prayer. The light traveled down to my twins, a sensation of warmth came over me. Releasing his palms, the light died down. Ruffling the top of my head, a rough looking Sage shoved bags onto Sunny and Alfred's backs.

"'We have to go. You are going back into the basket." He ordered, lifting me into the basket before I could protest. "Dilly! Grab the cake. Thank you for blessing our children. We will start to attend church once this is all over. I have one more question. Would you be our officiant for our wedding ceremony when asked? Thank you for taking care of her. We have to go before they search here, which they will." Scooping up my skirt, he tossed it into the basket. Rushing to the circle, he stepped up to make sure we had everything. Energy hummed around us, the church fading away to the bunker. The twins cooed, Sage pulling us out. The rest of the crew bounced up to us, all of them fawning over the twins and me. Scarlet colored my cheeks, Mouse shoved everyone out of the way.

"Get out of the way." She commanded excitedly, sitting down across from me. "My duty as an aunt is set to begin. Aren't they the cutest things?" Kissing their foreheads, her forehead pressed against mine. Tears of joy splattered their faces, this was her first sense of a family. Sliding them into her arms, gentle sobs wracked her body. My hand rubbed her back as I crawled over to her side. Seeing her so happy melted my heart, everything felt so right at this moment.

"I can't believe we have another generation living with us. Is this what family feels like?" She wept brokenly, Sage sitting down on her other side. Tickling their bellies, Sage ruffled her messy bed head. Wishing that my brother had made it, a deep seeded depression flashed on my face for a second before his next words snapped me back to reality.

"We are all family, aren't we?" He assured her in his brotherly manner, my breath hitching at his handsomeness in the moment. "The three of us have always been together from the beginning minus a few years. They are simply the latest generation. Now who wants cake?" Popping to his feet, Mouse slid my twins back into my arms. Everyone followed him, leaving me to bask in the love of my children. My plan had to go off without a hitch, especially for my little Lapine and Renard.