POUNDING BLOOD !!

“YES,  EVERYTHING’S…  IT  IS  GOOD  NEWS,”     it  is  glad  news,  but  complicated  in  its  nature.  emboldened  by  the  shut  door,  she  dares  a  step  closer  to  him  and  raises  his  hands  to  her  lips.     “good     &     difficult  in  equal  measure,”     it  would  be  easier  to  simply  tell  him  and  explain  away  the  minutiae  once  it  was  out  in  the  open.  especially  considering  she’d  already  thought  of  most  of  the  solution.  brushing  a  kiss  against  his  knuckles  she  smiles  wide,  though  knit  eyebrows  convey  her  hesitance  in  her  excitement.  lowering  their  hands  again  to  be  hidden.     “i  am  with  child,  again,”     certainly  he  understands  her  hesitance  in  this,  she  hopes.  for  various  reasons  beyond  even  just  the  weight  of  the  public  eye.  she’d  suffered  too  many  miscarriages  to  allow  her  hopes  to  raise  too  high.     “i  should’ve  waited  until  tonight  to  tell  you,  but  the  physician  just  left,  and…”     she  blushes  a  little,  amused  with  herself,  distracting  her  eyes  with  their  joined  hands.     “and  i  might  have  been  over  -  eager  to  tell  you.”

A  CHUCKLE  SNORTS  OUT  OF  HIM  AT  THAT.     begrudgingly,  and  without  lifting  his  eyes  to  meet  aramis’.  he  is  resolute  in  his  anger;  at  least  until  he’s  given  an  apology,  or  an  admittance  to  wrongdoing.  athos  and  d’artagnan  had  been  so  easy  in  their  reunions,  as  if  aramis  had  never  abandoned  them,  and  acted  as  if  he’d  been  silly  for  staying  angry.     “that  was  never  proven,”     he  huffs,  gaze  still  trained  on  the  gun  between  his  hands.  afraid  that  he’d  forgive  him  too  quickly,  should  he  look  at  him  too  long.     “besides,  i’ve  got  four  years  of  battle  on  you.  had  to  get  athos  and  d’artagnan  out  of  some  tough  scrapes  while  you  were  off  babysitting.”

She really doesn’t know what to do, how to respond. Why does this have to be so damn complicated? She loves him, and she always will, but he’d broken her heart. But then there’s their daughter. Angelique is clinging to her skirts, staring up at her father with wide brown eyes. Odette thinks she looks more and more like Aramis every day, and it’s bittersweet. At least nobody has questioned her parentage yet. Why would they, when nobody but a few of Odette’s most trusted friends and servants knew of her affair with Aramis? She stays silent for a few moments, looking down at her daughter before looking back up at Aramis. “I… I missed you. I didn’t think it was possible to miss someone so much,” she says before sighing softly. “I suppose you should meet your daughter.”

Eyes close for a moment as she takes a deep breath. She doesn’t doubt his words for a second; she knows that he’d take her way from here the second she asks him to. Having someone who loves her so much is thrilling. But what would happen if they did run away? She can imagine it now: no more hiding, a home, a family. It’s what she wants more than anything. She wants him more than anything. But she can’t leave. She can’t do that to her father. It would break his heart. She’s the only person he has left after her mother’s death, and she can’t just leave him. Aramis can understand that, can’t he? He has his own responsibilities with the Musketeers. She couldn’t ask him to leave them behind. A soft sigh leaves her lips as he tucks her hair behind her ear, and she gently takes hold of his hand. “I can’t, Aramis. Where would we even go?”