so why'd you have to rain on my parade?

       

I'm shaking my head. I'm locking the gates.

Samantha was certainly unsure of exactly what to expect when she had sought out the help of the Fae King. After all, depending on who you asked within the city, you were met with vastly different accounts regarding the character of the man who ruled these streets. Still, despite all those rumors, Samantha had never expected him to turn her away. It was that desperation that that had led the woman to vocalize the reason for her visit. Surely, even the cruel Fae King wouldn't turn away a woman desperate to protect a fae child? Samantha stood perfectly still as Andras opened the gate and stepped back out onto the sidewalk. It took her a moment to process the invitation, the woman quickly stepping forward to match the quickened pace of her apparently companion. Surely he could sense her relief, even without an empathic ability.

Andras made her uneasy. She couldn't get a good read on him, nor his emotions. Clearly, he'd had some practice dealing with empaths and knew the way to close himself off to her. In an attempt to smooth things over, the young woman quietly tried to explain herself regarding the secretive Somnia, only to be met with a response from the King that only added to her confusion. What exactly was this place? It was a city she'd never heard of before now and was certain it was not in any geography book, and yet the young woman did not move to ask more questions regarding the place, at least not yet. No, Samantha would quietly bide her time until it was right to ask more questions. Ah, how the young woman had grown from the curious young girl who had just been turned. Now, she knew how to keep her mouth shut and work until she had the information she needed. Samantha would gain his trust first, or if not his trust, at least his respect.

"I promise my intentions were not meant to be threatening, your Majesty," Samantha replied cordially as they entered the tea shop. Quietly, Samantha voiced those feelings regarding the pregnancy. Uncertainty was not exactly the word for it, and yet she failed to have another word that fit it more. But with Kit in the picture now and the home they were creating here in Sacrosanct, she was almost feeling okay with it all. And she was excited. She was eager to meet the little child that existed within her womb, and she couldn't deny the love she felt to the little creature. And yet there was so much unknown to her. Samantha had only been fae for a decade now, over half of which she had spent adamantly denying that anything was different about her. Quietly, Samantha voiced just this, that she had thought it impossible due to the death that had changed her into the creature she was now.

As Samantha settled at the table, his words drew her attention. She knew that logically, she supposed, that her heart still beat instead her chest and she still breathed. She still needed food to survive and air in her lungs. And yet she felt different. She felt nothing like the way she had felt when she had been truly human. His words didn't surprise her at all, that it was distinctly rare to conceive as a fae. "I got that impression from-" Samantha let her voice cut off abruptly with the approach of the pretty - human - waitress. "Black tea, please. With sugar." She stated, pausing to allow the other man to order. Her hands shook slightly and she clutched her hands in front of her on the table in an effort to look more composed.

"I got that impression from my boyfriend. The father," She clarified, though it still seemed odd to call Kit that, when they'd never explicitly put a label on what they were to each other. And yet boyfriend had to be the accurate term, right? "He's fae as well. And so am I.. So. Fae child." Samantha watched those dark eyes turn back to her and that anxiety only seemed to grow. She expected him to explain more of her pregnancy and the complexities she might face. To ease some of those worries. After all, she didn't have much time. Before she knew it, this child would be here and the young woman felt wholly unprepared for any of it. What was it like to raise a fae child? How would they grow? What would they be? Would she even be a good mother?

Instead, Andras assured her that she did have time. Sure, the nine or so months that a pregnancy would last may seem like a long time, but the time was quickly slipping away from her. "I don't have time. The baby will be here in a matter of months and then I..." Samantha paused, fully taking in his words that she had something else on her mind, and for a moment, Samantha wrinkled her nose. No, the child... her child. That was what she was bothered by and yet... Yet there were so many things that erupted that anxiety within the girl now. Samantha remained silent for a moment, quietly listening to those accented words of trust. No, she couldn't trust him completely, not yet.

"The last time I trusted someone completely, I spent months being tormented by a power I didn't know he had and it resulted in my boyfriend was murdered in front of me." Samantha said simply. She paused, watching his reaction as the waitress returned with the steaming mugs of tea. She had trusted Frost so completely, had believed in his good intentions, and look at how much she had lost as a result of it. It was possible Samantha would never fully trust another soul again, particularly one that she couldn't read. Not that the empath wanted to bring up that facet of her power to him, either. "But I have to trust someone, and you have an understanding of my situation that I don't right now and that I need. So I have to put some faith in you and know that I am strong enough to defend myself - at least somewhat - if necessary." It wasn't a threat, merely a statement. A promise that she would not stand by as innocently as she had with Frost.

"I can't control my powers right now," Samantha said finally, her pale blue gaze lifting to meet his dark one. "I have... emotion based powers, which I suppose isn't a secret. Anyone who was in my monarchy knew that about me." The last statement meant more as an understanding that what was being told right now was not exactly... confidential. "Since the pregnancy, my emotions surge unpredictably. I create things without meaning to. I can alter others' emotions without my own intent." She reached up, tucking a lock of her red hair behind her ear. "I can feel her. I... Don't ask me how I know it's a her, but I do. Confidently. I can feel her emotions. She feels powerful, and I think that's what scares me the most." Samantha took a deep breath, as though the weight of saying it aloud had taken so much from her. "I know fae children are a rarity. So I'm scared of what dangers she might face and I worry I won't be able to protect her."

this is why we can't have nice things

       

Samantha Cassidy