Hope Falls

“He does!”

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“Can we go do something? I need my mind off things, please.”

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“You didn’t just fall in love for no reason, I have stepped the line somewhere.”

"Stop it!" Matilida yelled then, voice breaking. "I told you I'm not talking about this. Just- just forget it. I shouldn't have said anything, should have kept it to myself."

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"Well," Sarika hummed with a giggle, resting her hand against Izsak's chest as she leant in to kiss the crook of his neck. "You haven't lost your touch."

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"We can go for a walk, we'll have to leave through the quietest exits though and try to avoid people until we announce the baby."

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"You're fine then."

"Stop it!" Matilida yelled then, voice breaking. "I told you I'm not talking about this. Just- just forget it. I shouldn't have said anything, should have kept it to myself."

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"Well," Sarika hummed with a giggle, resting her hand against Izsak's chest as she leant in to kiss the crook of his neck. "You haven't lost your touch."

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"We can go for a walk, we'll have to leave through the quietest exits though and try to avoid people until we announce the baby."

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"You're fine then."

“I can’t tell you how I needed that.” Izsak hummed, moving his hand up and down her arm, breath catching a little at the kiss. “Give me a few minutes first before you start again.” He chuckled, kissing the top of her head. “Just a few minutes…”

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Draven stood up then, letting the cover fall off him as he reached over and grabbed Matilda, pulling her closer and pressing her forehead to his, hands going to hold her face.

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“Please, even just a short one. The fresh air would be nice.” Thea nodded.

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Dagmar nodded, moving to sit on her bed then as she played with her hands. “Do you think that being married to Emmett makes a difference to your relationship?” She asked quietly, catching glance of the ring on her finger.

Karina raised an eyebrow at her question before frowning as she realised what was behind it, shaking her head in a no response. "We would feel this way for one another marriage or not."

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"Okay," Magnus whispered, getting to his feet and offering her a hand up. "Make sure you wear something warm, you can feel winter in the air today."

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Matilda gasped quietly, muscles tense until their foreheads met. Lifting one hand up to rest over his, her other palm going to his cheek.

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"I would like us to get some fresh air, go for a walk. We haven't done that in a long time."

“I’ll need a few minutes for that too.” Izsak laughed, though nodded in agreement as he tightened his arm around her. “A walk sounds good though.”

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“I’d never know with the way you keep the fire going.” Thea mused with a teasing tone as she took his hand.

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“If he’d never proposed, if you just stayed the way you were, it wouldn’t have bothered you?”

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Draven closed his eyes, taking a sharp breath.

"I'll show you where I have been going to do yoga and meditation in the small pockets of spare time I have."

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"I don't want you to feel it, not for a second." Magnus grimaced, helping her up gently. "That counts for the walk too, so, your warmest coat please."

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Karina her head again. "No, no it wouldn't have mattered."

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Matilda quietly studied his face, brushing fingertips lightly over the odd scar or line. Lingering for awhile on a section of his jawline, before letting her eyes close and tilting her head so their lips were almost touching.

Izsak nodded, leaning his head down and kissing her gently. “That was okay for you, you wanted to?” He asked almost silently.

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“Oh how times have changed, before if I didn’t cover up properly for a ride or a walk you’d laugh at the slightest shiver and tell me it was my own fault if I got frostbite and my fingers dropped off.” Thea chuckled as she got up and headed to her dressing room, letting her robe drop which she’d been wearing to hide the small bump on her front, an extra precaution despite isolation.

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“You wouldn’t have felt upset that he didn’t see you as marriage material?”

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Draven remained completely still, allowing her to roam as she pleased.

"You're hormonal, a shiver right now would probably feel like a blizzard to you." He laughed, moving his hand to rest his palm gently against her bump. "It's so amazing, hm?"

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Matilda ran her hands down from his jaw to his neck, paying attention to every dip and curve as she worked her way down his body - not moving her lips any closer as her heart rate quickened.

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"I wanted to," Sarika assured, closing her eyes as she kissed him back. Asking with an exhaled breath; "Why are you worrying about that?"

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"No." Karina frowned. "Conan would marry you in a heartbeat if he were allowed, Dagmar. You know that."

“I learned how to make it seem wanted, even when it wasn’t…”

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The hairs on Draven’s body raised as he became acutely aware of his lack of clothes, exhaling shakily.

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“Maybe… I don’t know… I don’t know why it bothers me still. I swallow it down for so long but every now and then…”

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“I still find it strange.” Thea admitted as she placed her hands over his. “Very strange, especially as it’s not something I ever thought about, you know? But I’m glad you’re here… she’s here.”

She blinked her eyes open then as she shifted her weight to sit up a bit; moving her hands to wrap around his shoulders and pull him against her chest, holding him close. "Oh, Izzy."

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Karina leant in to hug her, whispering in empathy; "They were cruel taking it away from you both, it was always a ridiculous rule. This world, in general, is cruel."

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"It's like a miracle." Magnus whispered. "All of it. Being married to you, you carrying our baby. All of it is perfect."

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"We can't do this. It will tear both of us apart inside." Matilda eventually whispered. "You - you said so yourself, it's a betrayal."

“It will.” Draven agreed as he swallowed thickly. “Doesn’t stop us from wanting it though does it? Doesn’t stop the ache…”

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“It’s okay.” Izsak shook his head. “I just… wanted to make sure that you did want it.”

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“Certainly something I never saw coming, maybe I’m terrible at my job.”

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“It’s silly isn’t it? Being hurt by it? He loves me, we share the same bed most nights, we have the children. I know I’m lucky that I’m still alive… but I - it’s stupid.”

"It is okay to be upset, to be angry... as long as it is at them rather than him."

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"No, no don't dismiss it. Let me hold you Izzy, settle into me and let me hold you for a little while." Sarika encouraged gently. "I should have been more...sensitive to you."

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"It was next to impossible to predict. Maybe you were never meant to know, maybe it would have ruined the journey."

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"How dare you be married," She laughed sadly. "I- I could try and get over the feelings of guilt if you didn't have a mate."

“No, no not him.” Dagmar assured. “I just… feel sad. And I hate myself for it that it’s not something I can shift. I know I should be grateful at what I do have - and I am, really.”

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“It’s okay. You didn’t need to do anything other than what you did.” Izsak assured. “Finally being back with you was exactly what I needed.”

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“If it wasn’t for who your mate was… Sarika would’ve accepted you in time, the way she knew I’d accept Izsak because she loves him… but you were Søren’s… and if he - he wouldn’t be able to take this.”

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“I keep wondering if any of the others did, but just couldn’t say anything…”

"I wouldn't have accepted her; I don't share." Matilda whispered. "I - you said yourself, not too many months ago that he'd want me to... start seeing people."

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Sarika gently ran her hand up and down his arm, shaking her head and biting her tongue to stop herself from saying anything.

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"Perhaps. I always wonder what you all see; the things that are set that you will never tell."

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"Of course you are." Karina nodded. "Of course."

“Being with someone who’s hands I can trust… almost cured now, I swear.” Izsak chuckled, grabbing her hand and kissing her knuckles gently. “Shall we get dressed and go for that walk, draga?”

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“He would. But probably not me - definitely not me. And I’m not leaving Sarika, I don’t want to do that Matilda. Any feelings I have for you aren’t replacing those I have for her, they’re adjacent to it.” Draven stepped back then. “You were Søren’s mate, you understand how deep that love runs for us.”

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“That’s a secret.” Thea teased, leaning her head back on his shoulder. “But I will promise you now that anything important regarding our daughter… I won’t keep from you. You have my word. I don’t care about the rules.”

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“Just mildly envious of everyone who gets to use the titles I don’t. But it’ll pass, it always does.”

"Mm," Sarika hummed in agreement. "Yes, yes that walk sounds like the exact thing the two of us need."

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Matilda swallowed thickly, trying to hold back a disappointed look when he stepped away. Wrapping her arms around herself and stating quietly; "I think you should go. You're just... you aren't making me feel any better about myself right now."

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"No, no." Magnus frowned. "We were lucky you weren't killed last time, we can't go through the not knowing again... I can't go through not knowing if I'll see you ever again for a second time."

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"I'm sorry..." Karina frowned, hiding her fingers beneath her so ner ring was hidden

“You want me to lie to you and say I’ll leave me wife to get you into bed? You should know me better than that, Tills.” Draven swallowed, reaching down and grabbing the throw to tie around his waist. “I’ll go,” he nodded in agreement. “You love me. You were my brothers soulmate and days away from marrying him when he died. I have a soulmate, I’m married and I love her far too much for that to change. I’m… I'm developing feelings for you too. I loved my brother very, very much. He would want you to be happy with someone else… all those statements are true simultaneously. None of them change the other, do they?” He stated, before going to leave the room.

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Izsak kissed her palm before rolling off the bed and grabbing his trousers to pull on.

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“No no, don’t do that. Not for me, it’s okay.”

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“But she’s yours too. She’ll be the most important thing to us both - how… how can I keep things from you regarding her?”

"It's what set you off..."

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"I- I don't know." Magnus admitted quietly. "If it is anything bad, maybe I'm not going to want to know."

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Matilda reached across to grab the pillow from the top of the bed, burying her face again it just in time to muffle the sound of a cry.

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Sarika watched him with a smile for a moment before sitting herself up and pulling her own clothes back on.

“Sorry. I didn’t mean to make you feel uncomfortable.”

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“Something to work the finer details out when it comes to it mm?”

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“You’re stunning.” Izsak admired as he watched her, dressing himself completely before wrapping his arms around her from behind.

"You're obsessed." Sarika laughed quietly, leaning herself back against him. "I haven't had the time to look stunning in a long time."

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Magnus nodded, agreeing quietly; "A problem for another day."

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"No. I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable."

“One day at a time.” Thea agreed. “The best way to do it.”

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“You didn’t, I’m being silly. I’m really happy for you, truly.”

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“I am obsessed. Very.” Izsak grinned, kissing her neck before letting go.

"Up until the day you find your mate, you will quickly tire of me then." Sarika hummed, "She must be out there somewhere, after all."

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"Lets just enjoy the air."

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Karina opened her mouth to speak before she tensed, whites of her eyes showing as she fell back with the intensity of the vision.

“You have a mate, and yet you are here with me and not him, they’re not the be all and end all of feelings are they? Any mate I find would have to accept what I have with you and Draven is deep.”

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Thea leaned back for a moment and kissed his jaw before pulling away and heading to where her clothes were hung, picking out a thick black dress and stepping into it before pulling her hair away so Magnus could do the buttons up at the back.

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“Oh, okay.” Dagmar nodded, reaching over and gently taking Karina’s hand.

"You won't know that until you mert them, until the moment happens. Plenty of people wouldn't ever allow their mates to sleep with anyone else, Draven and I are... unique like that."

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Magnus done the buttons up quietly, whispering; "We won't be serving any alcohol, at the party to announce the baby. It isn't fair on you, and the party is going to be for you."

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"Th- Thea is... a baby... wolves."