AND DEATH SHALL HAVE NO DOMINION

THE MORNING AFTER ↳ we need to talk... or not

Chris turned over onto his side to face her and reached out to rub his hand along her arm. His voice was rough, still heavy from sleep. "No, of course not." His eyes searched hers. "It was a great night," he admitted quietly, "Don't think I'll forget it anytime soon." The mattress creaked as he shifted, moving closer so he could tangle legs with Jill under the blanket and drape his arm over her. His lips pressed to the side of her neck, her jaw, her cheek and finally, her mouth. Sweet kisses. A hand cradled her waist, tenderly thumbing her hipbone. A whisper as their noses brushed and they shared breaths: "And you...?"

Leon wasn't so much as begging as he was trying to be as gentle as possible with her. He was still trying to learn how he could handle it whenever she broke down in tears like this, caught up in a tidal wave of overwhelming emotion. It appeared that even Helena herself didn't understand why it was happening, becoming distressed as a result and not knowing what to do about it.

His guess? Hormonal imbalance. She was just over four months along and recognizing any symptoms of pregnancy before would have been made difficult due to how sick she'd been after Elpis. There were a lot of changes going on.

"Nothing is wrong with you," Leon told her earnestly. "Your body has been going through a lot. It doesn't make sense and seems irrational, but the doctor said this was normal." He wasn't going to tell her to calm down. Because that was fucking stupid. This wasn't just something she could rein in or switch off; Helena was growing a whole human inside of her and that took a significant toll.