Hope Falls

"Laoise and Hendrix. I'd catch her watching him at meetings when he would get all fucking arsey, I noticed when their seats were next to each other their hands were always beneath the table. Whatever feelings were happening there... they should have spoken about it."

---

"Fine, fine." Karina sighed, leaning back and settling into bed once again. "You go this time. The next time they cry though I'm going, pained or not."

---

Matilda laughed quietly at that, turning her head away to cough into her arm with a groan. "Remind me to never get crushed by anything."

“I think you’re mistaken, he holds no interest like that in anyone. You know what he’s like.”

---

“I’ll take the brunt of it for you if anything comes down. When shifted we can take a lot more.”

---

“You need to take it easy Kari.”

"If he is all but dead then it doesn't matter, does it?" Dušan whispered. "I was just thinking aloud."

---

"I need t-" Karina cut off with a gasp, her eyes rolling back to show white as her weight slumped back against the pillow. A low guttural sound escaping her lips as she struggled to breath.

---

"You would partake in such heroic behaviour?" Matilda questioned. "For me?"

"If he is all but dead then it doesn't matter, does it?" Dušan whispered. "I was just thinking aloud."

---

"I need t-" Karina cut off with a gasp, her eyes rolling back to show white as her weight slumped back against the pillow. A low guttural sound escaping her lips as she struggled to breath.

---

"You would partake in such heroic behaviour?" Matilda questioned. "For me?"

“You’re an important person. You and your sisters are vital in keeping everyone safe… and I know Draven would do the same to save my own sister, and that’s how he sees you. Of course. If I could prevent you getting hurt then I’d take the opportunity.”

---

“He would’ve been a good voice in this war… but he would’ve been hard to convince to go for it.”

---

“Oh it’s okay, its been a while mm?” Emmett frowned as he headed over to the bed, sitting down next to Karina.

"One of the witch Seers are finally dying." Karina stumbled between struggled breathes. "Sh- she I'd surrounded by beds where the others lay. It... cold."

---

"I should be the one with the caved in head." Dušan whispered with a grimace. "He was in the doorway, I was in the room. He grabbed my shoulders, spun us around and pushed me. Where - where were you?"

---

"Draven and I are.. rather awkward right now. We had a moment, and..." Matilda cut off with a flinch, body going rigid and eyes becoming distant.

“Let me go get Devika to mind the children so I can give my attention to you?”

---

“I was with Marcus in the gardens for the first shock. When we picked ourselves back up and saw the citadel collapsing we ran inside and well - there came the aftershocks and when we left they’d still not found his body in the rubble…”

---

“Oh, hey. You’re seeing something.” Izsak gently took her hand, smoothing the back with his thumb.

---

Thea had gone rigid beside Magnus, unnaturally still as her back arched, chest heaving as she fought for breath.

"T?" Magnus questioned sleepily, having stirred at the sound of her breathing changing. Slipping his arms around her shoulders to pull her against him as he sat up slightly. "T, are you okay?"

---

Matilda swayed, eyes fading to white as shebfell more into the connection. Her hand turning cold, skin paling and lips becoming blue with the inability to breath.

---

Karina could barely nod between her gasps, moving suddenly to curl in on herself with a pained cry as she wrapped her arms around her stomach.

In the next room, Eden's quiet whimpers for attention turned into pained screams.

---

"It's - it is so much to wrap your head around isn't it? This is the first time we have had time to think about it."

“I’m used to mass wipeouts in other countries… by war. And I always thought that at least if we stayed neutral we’d never suffer the same… but we can’t control nature can we?”

---

Thea moved her hand to her chest as she tried to suck in air, mouth moving though no words were able to get out. Tears falling down the side of her face as veins burst in her eyes from the struggle.

---

“Shit, shit.” Emmett hissed in mild panic. Quickly running to swing open the door of their quarters to the hall outside and yelling at the nearest soldier to go get help before quickly heading into the second bedroom to scoop Eden up, gently rubbing her back as he placed her against his shoulder.

---

“Matilda? Matilda?” Izsak frowned as he moved to sit up properly then, gently shaking her arm.

"Update me." Devika spoke calmly as she stepped into the room less than five minutes later, dressed in a long white night gown with her hair matted from where her head had been against a pillow. Nose wrinkling at the distorted sounds of the baby's cry, reaching her arms out to take the baby.

---

Matilda tried to take in a breath, though was unsuccessful. Lurching forward momentarily as if someone was applying quick bouts of pressure on her chest.

---

"Thea... No, no, no." Magnus whined, brushing a strand of hair back behind her ear before getting out of bed and going into the hallway to bellow for help. Sitting on his knees beside Thea once more a moment later and taking her hand.

---

"Nature... nature's a heartless bitch."

“Part of me wishes it was the Fae that caused this with their ancestors, or someone with the powers of earth caused it by fucking up because it would be easier to accept than the fact that sometimes this shit will just happen and there is nothing we can do about it.” Andrea whispered shakily then, her voice breaking.

---

“Out.” Thea mouthed repeatedly, grabbing Magnus’ hand and pressing it against her stomach, dragging his nails across the underside of her bump in indication as her skin began to lose colour.

---

“One of the Seers is suffocating to death, finally succumbing to her injuries. But Eden can feel it too. Why can she feel it too?! She’s too young for this, Kari said we’d have so much more time before she gained the connection!” Emmett panicked from where he was sat on the bed beside Karina, one arm gently massaging her chest as he held Eden with the other, quickly passing her over. “Help them!”

---

“Shit, you’re not supposed - you’re not supposed to physically be affected this right? Why can’t you breathe? It’s supposed to all be in your head the connection! Shit.” Izsak swallowed, jumping off the bed and swiftly leaving the room to tell the guards to help the other Seers before rushing back into the room and moving to kneel over Matilda on the bed. Without hesitation closing her nose and pressing his mouth to hers to breathe in air before starting chest compressions.

"Come here, like... properly come here." Dušan encouraged quietly, patting his lap to try and show what he meant. "Sit down, let me hold you without it being side ways and awkward."

---

"No, no...no. I-" Magnus whined, looking toward the open door and yelling once again; "Someone help! please!"

---

"Normally Seers so young don't, or.. it isn't anything that we recognise but this is the first baby since Thea's vampirism made everything so much more..." Devika grimaced as she took the baby, gently bouncing her. "We can't do more than monitor when this happens, General. You know that. Their bodies are made for this though, have faith."

---

Matilda gasped as she came back to, hands moving quickly to grip Izsak's wrists tightly as her eyes returned to their normal chestnut brown colour.

Thea squeezed his wrist as tight as she could then in urgency.

“Sir?” Eve asked breathlessly as she came to a stop at the door, face red and tangled from where she’d been dragged out of bed. Making her way closer as her eyes widened. “What’s happened?” She asked as she grabbed Thea’s wrist and checked her pulse, jaw tensing at what she felt. Quickly moving to press her hand to Thea’s chest and resting her ear there for a moment. “Her lungs have collapsed as if she’s been crushed? This shouldn’t - this shouldn’t be happening. If she’s getting no air in Magnus neither is the child!”

---

“It is killing them! Help them!” Emmett pleaded then as he pulled Karina further into his arms. “How are you so calm! My daughter is dying as is her mother! Why can’t you see this isn’t normal!”

---

“There you are, there you are.” Izsak let out a shaky breath of relief as she grabbed his wrists, moving one hand to cup her face and the other on the side of her neck. “Take it easy, slowly.”

---

Andrea clumsily made her way over wirh one arm pushing her, settling her head in against his chest.

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"She - She wants us to save the baby but... no. No Thea is the priority, Eve, do you understand? We need to focus on saving Thea. The baby can... Thea first." Magnus commanded, his voice shaking wildly in the process.

---

"Who do I focus on first Emmett because I only have one pair of hands and I don't know how much I can do when all of them are connected anyway! This isn't simple, I could try my best and still lose."

Karina slumped heavily against Emmett, almost completely limp and eyes turning vacant.

---

"They died.. th- they died." She gasped weakly, flinching as the pain in her ribs. "One of them, anyway. It gets worse everytime."

---

Dušan wrapped his arms around her shoulders tightly, closing his eyes as he nuzzled her face into her hair. Mumbling quietly; "I'm sad the others... didn't make it. Devastated, even but I am so glad you walked away."

“Help Eden.” Emmett commanded, gently tapping Karina’s face then. “Kari? Kari! Wake up! Karina!”

---

“You had me fucking terrified there.” Izsak murmured as he moved to lay beside her then, his own heart pounding in his chest. “Thought you were gonna die on my watch there. You went blue.”

---

Eve stared Magnus for a moment in disbelief as he went over Thea’s requests. Hesitating before nodding. “Give her air Sir, chest presses.” She instructed as she began routing around the drawers in the room. “I need a knife to cut myself, maybe - maybe my blood will help.”

---

“And I you… I was relieved when I saw you were still alive.”

"Oh Draven would have killed you." Matilda chuckled weakly, letting her eyes blink close as she added with a bit too much of a gap; "Literally."

---

"Check her breath, Emmett. If she has stopped breathing then you have to breathe for her - compressions, breathes. Pray to God." Devika instructed quietly before removing herself and going into the other room with Eden for privacy.

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"Bedside drawer, second one down." Magnus answered, gently laying Thea down properly and doing as instructed. Doing his best to keep a steady rhythm with the chest compressions and mumbling more to himself than Thea; "I'm not going to lose you."

---

"Imagine one of us having to out up with Laoise alone? Torture."

“Sir if she has asked to save the child…what if Thea is beyond saving. You could lose them both by trying to save her.” Eve posed quietly as she searched for the knife, quickly grabbing it as soon as she found it. “Cutting the child out will save it. And with Thea being a quick healer if she was to survive what is happening anyway then she would survive the procedure. I have done it before with success.”

---

“Oh I know, that’s what I was worried about. Don’t fool yourself into thinking it’s your life I’m concerned with.” Izsak teased gently, moving his hand from her neck once he was convinced she was going to be okay.

---

“We’re stuck with her together it seems, easier to deal with.” Andrea laughed a little.

---

“Karina. Kari listen to me? Listen to me okay? They need you. Eden and Ira need their mother okay? You can’t go. Your sister is gone but you cannot let her drag you with her when you are needed.” Emmett said sternly as he quickly lifted Karina out of the bed and onto the floor for a better surface before beginning to press on her chest. “When I need you okay?”

"No! Thea is priority!" Magnus yelled then, veins beneath his eyes becoming prominent with the emotion behind the hiss. "The child is nothing compared to her, do you understand?! My future is Thea! Not a child. Thea!"

---

"Keep that there." Matilda encouraged, hand lifting up to catch his tiredly. "The skin to skin contact is nice. I like my neck being touched."

---

"Much easier to deal with."

---

After a long three minutes, Karina turned her head to the side. Her mouth agape as she suckered in air, the colour beginning to return to her face in almost silence.

"No! Thea is priority!" Magnus yelled then, veins beneath his eyes becoming prominent with the emotion behind the hiss. "The child is nothing compared to her, do you understand?! My future is Thea! Not a child. Thea!"

---

"Keep that there." Matilda encouraged, hand lifting up to catch his tiredly. "The skin to skin contact is nice. I like my neck being touched."

---

"Much easier to deal with."

---

After a long three minutes, Karina turned her head to the side. Her mouth agape as she suckered in air, the colour beginning to return to her face in almost silence.

“Even though my hands haven’t always been kind?” Izsak whispered shamefully then.

---

Eve nodded, grabbing Thea’s wrist to check again and quickly letting it go when she realised there there was no longer anything there, nor a heartbeat. Quickly slicing at her palm and pressing it against Thea’s lips in between Magnus’ breaths, visibly panicking then when it didn’t improve anything, the blood pooling in her mouth before slowly trickling down, rather than Thea swallowing it.

---

“Karina? Karina?” Emmett gently pulled Karina up into his arms in relief. “Thank God.” He whispered shakily, unable to contain the tears that began to fall. “I thought I’d lost you.” He sobbed.

---

“We make a good team.”

"Your hands weren't being cruel to me. I wasn't me when you were..." Matilda wrinkled her nose, brushing a thumb across his knuckles gently. "I won't pretend to know what went on, how you felt in that moment but I know wherever you were in your head you weren't home and I know you didn't see me as me. You scared me, yes but... I've been in plenty of scary situations. You live with wolves and you get used to it."

---

"Don't leave me, do- don't fucking leave me!" Magnus cried more than yelled then as he tried to keep up with compression. "This isn't funny! You can't pull fucking pranks like this! Wake up.... wake up!"

---

"Mm?" Karina hummed, squeezing her eyes tighter together before blinking them open. "Oh... oh you're..." Her voice drifted off as she tried to support her own weight, arms wrapping around his neck to hug him as best she could. "Silly.. I'm here, love."

---

"We always have. No one else is fun."

Emmett hugged her tightly, being careful not to squeeze her chest too much as he took in the scent of her hair. Only allowing himself a moment to breathe before calling to Devika; “Is Eden okay?! I can’t hear her!”

---

“Sir, sir the child. You must consider - “ Eve started, cutting off when Thea spluttered, gurgling as she choked on the blood that began going down her throat as she began to breathe on her own, her eyes flying open with panic as she struggled to suck in air.

---

“Doesn’t excuse it. I knew it was too soon to be walking around without supervision and I did it anyway. I have to take responsibility for the harm I caused you.”

---

“We’ll need those memories in the coming months, keep our spirits up.”

"Do you remember the reason you came searching for me that day?" Matilda asked quietly.

---

"She's fine." Devika called back, close to sounding calm though there was a slight falter to her breathing that indicated it had almost been a different story. "Focus on Karina. I have the baby."

"E- Eden? What happened to Eden?" She asked quietly, leaning back enough to reach tired hands up and cup his face. Brushing his tears away with her thumbs. "I don't think I've ever seen you cry..."

---

"Thea, Thea, Thea." Magnus sobbed, eyes red with tears as he scooped her into his arms and held her close. Burying his face against her neck with an uneven cry.

---

"We'll get through this."

"Do you remember the reason you came searching for me that day?" Matilda asked quietly.

---

"She's fine." Devika called back, close to sounding calm though there was a slight falter to her breathing that indicated it had almost been a different story. "Focus on Karina. I have the baby."

"E- Eden? What happened to Eden?" She asked quietly, leaning back enough to reach tired hands up and cup his face. Brushing his tears away with her thumbs. "I don't think I've ever seen you cry..."

---

"Thea, Thea, Thea." Magnus sobbed, eyes red with tears as he scooped her into his arms and held her close. Burying his face against her neck with an uneven cry.

---

"We'll get through this."

“If I don’t survive… cremate me personally?” Andrea chuckled.

---

Thea sprayed the blood out as soon as Magnus lifted her, clearing her airway and sucking in air deeply, chest heaving as she gulped it down.

“Thank the Gods.” Eve whispered, placing the knife down and leaning against the side.

---

“I nearly lost you both - she was affected too and I couldn’t - I couldn’t be with you both.” Emmett sobbed, moving her hand away and bringing her in as close as possible to hold her. “I almost lost you…”

---

“Ironically - to thank you for your work with the herbs for painkillers. I know most of the work to get me back on my feet was from you.”