Felicity's Beas Chapter 149: You Have To Go

Chapter 149: You Have To Go

anwhile, on the other side of Vineyard.

The cold sat thick between the apartnt blocks, packed into the narrow walkways and stairwells like it had nowhere else to go.

Finch moved through it steadily, his massive paws sinking slightly with each step, claws clicking faintly when he hit exposed concrete. In his polar bear form, he filled the corridor completely, shoulders brushing close to the walls, white fur catching the dim light from broken fixtures overhead. Heat rolled off him in waves, visible against the cold.

Rose lay draped across his back like she owned the space and she really did, one arm hooked lazily over his shoulder, the other resting across the curve of her stomach. "If you drop ," she muttered, voice flat, "I’m killing you."

Finch didn’t even turn his head. "You’ve said that three tis."

"And I’ll say it again, it’s called consistency."

"You’re not exactly easy to drop."

She shifted slightly "That was a comnt on your grip, not my weight."

"Mm."

"That wasn’t funny."

"It wasn’t ant to be."

Rose clicked her tongue, dragging her fingers absently through the thick fur at his neck. Her stomach was heavy, tight, the weight of it constant and impossible to ignore. Every movent pulled sowhere it shouldn’t, every step he took jostled just enough to remind her of it. "You’re walking too slow."

"I’m walking steady."

"You’re walking like you’re scared."

"I am," he said simply.

That made her pause, just for a second, then she scoffed "Please, Of ?"

"Of you falling, and seeing my old team" he corrected.

"Then don’t let

fall."

"That’s the plan."

They moved past a collapsed doorway, the wind pushing faintly through broken glass sowhere above, a low whistling sound threading through the corridor. Rose shifted again, adjusting her position with a sharp exhale. "This is stupid."

"Carrying you?"

"Coming here."

"You said you wanted to."

"I said I needed to," she snapped. "Different thing."

Finch didn’t argue. His pace didn’t change.

She stared ahead, jaw tight, eyes flicking over familiar turns in the complex. She knew this place. Had walked it herself not long ago, upright, in control, not... this. "She doesn’t know does she" Rose said after a mont.

"No."

"She’s going to hate it."

"Probably."

Rose huffed out a breath that almost turned into a laugh but didn’t quite make it. "Good she should."

A pause stretched between them, filled only by the slow rhythm of Finch’s steps.

"I’m not leaving Vineyard," she said, quieter now, like she was reminding herself more than him.

"I know."

"I can’t." Her hand pressed briefly into her stomach, instinctive. "Not like this."

"I know."

"And she’s not staying there forever," Rose added, sharper again, like she was correcting the conversation before it could drift sowhere else.

Finch didn’t respond this ti.

They turned down another corridor, colder here, the wind pushing harder, dragging loose debris across the ground in soft scraping sounds. Snow had piled higher against one side, forcing Finch to angle his body slightly to fit through.

She let out a short, frustrated breath, then leaned her head forward, resting it briefly against the back of his neck. Just for a second.

"Don’t make it obvious," she said quietly.

"I won’t."

Another few steps, the building felt less abandoned, more occupied.

Rose lifted her head again, her expression settling back into sothing sharper, sothing controlled. "Put

down before we get there."

"No."

"Finch."

"You’ll fall."

"I will not fall."

"You will absolutely fall."

She narrowed her eyes, even though he couldn’t see it "you’re insufferable."

"Love you too."

She clicked her tongue again, but didn’t argue further, her gaze fixed ahead now.

The room was warm in a way the rest of the building wasn’t, heat held close instead of leaking through cracked walls and broken windows.

Lucan was close his hand rested idly against her waist, fingers occasionally shifting like he was checking she was still there without needing to look. Voices carried faintly from the hallway, normal, background, nothing worth paying attention to.

"...don’t drop ." rose said in the distance.

Felicity froze, it wasn’t loud nor was it even clear but she knew that voice, her head snapped toward the door before the thought had even fully ford. "..Rose?" She was already moving, the blankets were gone in a second, her body turning, feet hitting the ground, montum carrying her straight toward the door without pause.

Lucan’s hand caught her, firm, Imdiate and grounding. His grip closed around her waist, pulling her back just enough to stop the forward rush, not enough to hurt, but enough that she felt it. "Careful," he said, low, close to her ear, steady in a way that cut through the sudden spike of energy.

"I heard.." she started, already trying to pull forward again.

"I know," he said, his hand slid from her waist to her hand instead, grounding rather than restraining this ti, fingers closing around hers as he stood with her. "Then don’t run into it blind."

"Oi, what the hell" scread Tommy, of course it was Tommy.

He pushed through the small cluster of Snow Team mbers like he always did, all elbows and curiosity, eyes locking straight onto Finch and then imdiately dropping to Rose in his arms. He blinked once, "...why’s she fat?"

The hallway went dead still for half a second, then Rose leaned forward, just enough, and smacked him clean across the side of the head.

"Pregnant, you little shit."

Tommy recoiled, clutching his head. "Ow! I was just!"

"Just what?" Rose snapped. "Using your one brain cell out loud?"

"I didn’t..she’s" he gestured vaguely, digging himself deeper, "I’ve never seen you like that oh my god does that an you had se.."

This ti Damien hit him.

"That’s because you’ve never seen a woman up close," she shot back.

A bark of laughter from sarge cut through the mont. "God, I missed you," he said, grinning like this was the best thing he’d seen all week.

Rose pointed at him without looking "you’re next."

"Worth it."

Finch huffed quietly under his breath, shifting his grip slightly as Rose twisted just enough to keep glaring at Tommy. The tension in the hallway loosened a fraction, sothing familiar settling over it.

Then the door behind Felicity opened wider, Felicity hadn’t even turned yet when she felt it Lucan’s hand tightening slightly in hers, his body angling just enough to pull her a fraction closer to his side without making it obvious.

Her other husbands stepped out behind them, one after the other, filling the space without crowding it, presence stacking in a way that made the hallway feel smaller.

Everyone noticed, Rose definitely noticed. Her gaze flicked past Felicity, slow, deliberate, taking in each of them, the way they stood, the way they positioned themselves without thinking. Then one eyebrow lifted, sharp and unimpressed "...oh," she said. "Another one? what is this, a rescue?"

Felicity’s face went red instantly, "Rose.."

"What?" Rose shrugged slightly, like she was just making an observation. "I leave for a bit and you start collecting them?"

"I am not!"

Lucan’s eyes narrowed slightly at Rose, not aggressive, just... assessing, the edge of sothing territorial flickering there before he pulled Felicity a little closer with a quiet chuff under his breath.

Rose caught that, of course she did, her mouth twitched. "Right," she muttered. "That explains a lot."

Felicity turned slightly, looking between them, confused, heat still sitting high on her cheeks. "What is that supposed to an?"

"Nothing," Rose said lightly. "Just... interesting dynamics."

"Rose."

"Felicity."

Finch shifted again. "You two done?"

"No!" they both said at the sa ti.

He hesitated for half a second, then crouched carefully, lowering her again. Rose steadied herself as her feet hit the ground, one hand gripping his arm briefly before she straightened, posture snapping back into sothing controlled despite the weight she carried.

Felicity didn’t wait she closed the distance in two steps and pulled her into a hug, not careful. "hi," Felicity said into her shoulder, voice softer now, sothing cracking at the edges.

Rose stiffened for a second just a second then her arms ca up, wrapping around her just as tight "hi," she said back, quieter than anything else she’d said since arriving. Then, like she couldn’t help herself, "you look like shit."

Felicity let out a small, broken laugh against her. "You look worse."

"Excuse you," Rose scoffed. "I look expensive."

"You look like you’re about to murder soone."

"I am, probably you."

"Fair."

They pulled back just enough to look at each other properly, hands still gripping each other’s arms, like neither of them trusted the other not to disappear if they let go.

Felicity’s gaze flicked down again, softer this ti. "You really shouldn’t be here like this."

"Yeah, well," Rose shrugged slightly, "I didn’t co for the sightseeing."

"Then why..?"

"Because you need to leave" it dropped cleanly between them.

Blunt as always.

Felicity blinked. "What...?" felicity looked around at her husbands and team mbers.

Rose didn’t look away "you need to leave, now."

"That’s not... what are you talking about?"

"The lizards," Rose said, like it was obvious. "They’re circling, your too visible, it’s not safe here anymore."

Felicity shook her head slightly, frowning. "We’re handling it."

"No," Rose said, sharper now. "You’re in it."

"That’s not the sa thing."

"It is when you’re the center of it."

Felicity’s expression tightened. "You don’t just show up and tell

to abandon everything.."

"I’m not telling you to abandon anything," Rose cut in. "I’m telling you to move before you don’t get a choice."

Felicity turned slightly, looking over her shoulder at the n behind her like she was checking for sothing, grounding herself.

"...what?" she said, quieter now.

Felicity turned back slowly, sothing shifting in her face. "You knew?"

Victor stepped closer, his hand sliding back to her waist, steady, anchoring. "We were going to tell you, but rose wanted to."

Felicity stared at them for a second longer, then turned back to Rose, sothing unraveling fast now. "You ca all this way, like this... just to tell

to leave?"

Rose’s expression flickered, just for a second. "No."

"Then what?"

Rose’s hand pressed against her stomach again, grounding, instinctive, her jaw tightening like she was bracing for impact.

"I ca to say goodbye," she said.

Everything stopped, the world stopped.

Felicity just looked at her, then like sothing inside her gave way she stepped forward and crashed into her again, arms wrapping tight, tighter than before, like she was trying to hold her in place. "No," she said into her shoulder, shaking her head. "No, you’re coming with . You have to co with

this ti."

Rose closed her eyes briefly, her arms coming up around her again, holding her just as tight. "Not this ti," she said quietly.

Rose shook her head once, small but firm. "I can’t."

"Why not?"

She let out a slow breath, glancing down for a second before looking back up at her. "Look at ."

Felicity did.

"I’m not running across blocks, fighting crazies and dragging supplies while carrying cubs," Rose said, not sharp now, just... real. "I’m not putting them at risk because you don’t want to go without ."

Felicity’s grip tightened. "I’m not asking you to.."

Lucan’s grip on her waist grew tighter drawing her closer, Damien’s tail wrapped around her ankle grounding her? grounding him.

Voss shifted back and forth on his heels to her left, Ivan kept an eye out always watching the area.

Victor just behind her kissed the top of her head.

"You are," Rose said softly. "You just don’t want to call it that."