*Lucas*
Sasha sniffled and trembled in my arms. She was still pale and she felt lighter than normal.
“It’s okay, Sasha. We’ll fix this.”
“How can we? I have no powers here. I’m the only one who knows how to fix it, but I can’t!” she sobbed and her tears started to fall.
I held her in my arms and rocked her gently. She’d been holding herself together for so long. She’d held her emotions in after accidentally hurting and killing so many. I admired her strength and ability to not let it destroy her.
She faced her fear when she had to use the staff again and tap into that overwhelming, uncontrollable power. I was so proud of her the whole ti. She’d been hanging on by a thread.
I hadn’t seen it, or I hadn’t wanted to see it. I kept telling myself that as soon as we were back in our reality and our bodies, all her worries and fears would be gone. She wouldn’t have to fight so hard to stay strong.
Coming back to no powers, no baby, and the wrong body was just the straw that broke the cal’s back. There was nothing I could say or do to redy the pain that took her over.
“Shh, my love. It’s alright.”
I didn’t think Sasha heard . She cried and cried in my arms. I held her and comforted her, but what more could I say?
Tears soaked through my shirt and dampened my skin. She tried to muffle her sobs in my shirt. Her fingers clung to my shirt, threatening to tear it at the seams.
Without her power, I had no idea how we were going to get our real bodies or the baby back.
My heart clenched. When we were at the ocean, talking about the baby, I saw how much it ant to her. I saw the excitent in her eyes and I knew how much she was looking forward to coming back to her body, our reality, and the baby. She was excited to connect with the baby in her belly, only to return to emptiness.
I rubbed her back and kissed her cheeks and her forehead. I stroked her hair, desperate to calm her. It broke my heart to see her so upset and scared.
My mom ca back to the living room with a teapot and two teacups.
“Sasha, my dear. Drink so of this tea. It will help calm you.”
She sniffled and wiped so of her tears away. I kept my arms around her and she leaned heavily on as she reached out for a teacup.
Her hands trembled, making tea spill over the edges of the cup.
I watched her struggle to even take a sip. More than anything, I wanted to fix her problems and make this all go away. I was as helpless as she was in this situation, and I didn’t like it.
After a few sips of tea, Sasha started to relax so. She kept sniffling and fresh tears streaked her cheeks, but her hands steadied and she could talk again.
“In your strange tale, you told of the aid Queen Lena offered you. I think it would be wise to reach out to her again and see if she can help. All this alternate reality business is beyond , and maybe she knows more about it,” my mother suggested.
“It’s a good place to start. She always seems to know more than she lets on,” I agreed, squeezing Sasha in a side hug.
“Do you think sh-she can help?” Sasha sputtered.
“I have no doubt that she’ll be able to offer so insight,” my mom assured.
She topped off Sasha’s tea.
“Keep drinking, my dear.” My mother patted Sasha’s hands. “It will help you feel better, I promise.”
“I think Lena can help. She’s always had mories of us in other tilines.” Sasha smiled weakly and sipped more tea. “She is an incarnation of the Moon Goddess, isn’t she? If anyone can help, she can.”
“You’re right. I’ll put a call into Xander and let him know we’re on our way back. It’ll take a few days to get there and... Sasha, I want you to rest for a while before we get going. This whole thing has been a shock.”
She nodded. “Too shocking–I feel like I could sleep for a week.”
“That’s the tea, dear. I don’t want you going back into a coma, but that tea will help you rest and relax your nerves.”
“It’s already working.” She held her empty mug out and my mother happily topped it off with more tea.
I was happy to see a slight spark of hope return to Sasha’s deanor. Having a plan to see Lena was just what she needed to snap her out of her despair.
Slowly, Sasha slumped against . She murmured softly and her breathing evened out. She was asleep.
“That should do it. The tea will put her out for a while.”
“Thank you, Mom.”
She nodded and took the teapot and mugs away. I scooped Sasha into my arms and carried her up to my room. When I laid her on the bed, she wrapped her arms around her flat stomach and murmured to herself.
I watched her as she slept. The tea worked wonders. She seed at ease and at peace. I was glad my mom had that tea on hand.
I pulled a blanket over Sasha and kissed her cheek. She murmured softly but remained asleep.
Satisfied that she was resting soundly, I left the room so I could call Xander.
“Xander, it’s Lucas,” I greeted.
“Lucas Black?” he asked.
“How many Lucas’s do you know?” I chuckled.
Xander scoffed. “I wasn’t expecting to hear from you. I heard you were in a coma. But you seem to have made an unexpected recovery.”
“Apparently. That’s what my mother told us when we woke up.”
“Sasha woke up too?” he asked urgently.
“Yes. She’s... resting, but we are both well.”
“I’m happy to hear that. It is good of you to call, Lucas, but I doubt it is simply to update on your condition.”
I sighed. “You’re right. Sasha and I have so issues we need to work out.”
“Issues? Is everything okay, Lucas?”
I cleared my throat. “I’m sorry, that was phrased poorly. It is a lot to explain over the phone but let put it this way: I believe that your wife might be particularly helpful in these matters.”
“Ah, say no more. Lena’s power and abilities are far beyond my understanding at tis. Though, I do respect her ability to deal with so much. Is there a ssage you’d like to pass on to her?”
“Please let Lena know that Sasha and I have questions about dream dancer powers and alternate realities.”
“Alright, that’s definitely sothing for my wife. I’ll let her know and have her get back to you as soon as possible. Should we expect you back in the Dark Realm any ti soon?”
“We’ll be headed that way in a few days. We have just a few more things to wrap up here.”
“Looking forward to it. Still, I’ll have Lena call you back when she’s free.”
“Thank you, Xander.”
I went back to my room to watch over Sasha. The tea must have been wearing off because she was restless. She kicked the blanket off and moved around in her sleep.
“Shhh,” I murmured. I sat on the edge of the bed and pulled the blanket around her again. “I’m here, Sasha. You can rest easy.”
“My... s-sweet... b-baby...” she hugged herself again.
My heart shattered into a million pieces as she spoke to the baby that wasn’t there. I couldn’t let her go on without getting our baby back. I ran my fingers down her arm and her side.
My heart heavy, I lay on the bed beside her and snuggled close to her.
Hugging her helped calm her. She stopped murmuring and settled down again. I was happy to provide comfort for her, but I knew it wouldn’t be enough.
I couldn’t rest until Sasha was whole again.
I squeezed her a little tighter and nuzzled my nose in her hair. I breathed in her sweet, mouthwatering scent and felt the way her body ford to mine, fitting against perfectly. She was everything to , and our future family was everything to .
“Lucas?” my mother whispered from the doorway.
I sat up and glared at her. “What?” I hissed.
She beckoned into the hallway.
I kissed Sasha again and pulled the blanket around her once more. Before leaving, I looked back at Sasha, resting on the bed, once more. She was still again.
“What is it? Sasha is still resting. I don’t want you to wake her.”
“I’m sorry, son. It’s important. You asked to tell you when a phone call ca in.”
“Right, Sorry, mother.”
“Queen Lena is on the phone. She’s waiting for you on the downstairs line.”
“Will you... just sit with Sasha until I get back?”
My mother nodded and went into the bedroom. I watched her sit on the bed with Sasha, gently stroking her hair and whispering comfortingly.
I wasn’t expecting to see my mother so tender toward Sasha, but I was grateful for her help through this.
“Lucas, I was happy to hear my cousin is on his feet again, you and Sasha,” Lena told .
“Thank you, cousin. Did Xander give you the ssage?”
Lena chuckled. “Tilines and dream dancers?”
I laughed and nodded into the phone. “That’s it exactly.”
“Can you explain to what happened? I already have a few ideas but I want to make sure I have the details.”
“Alright.”
I quickly laid out the issue with Lena, sticking to explaining the orbs, Sasha’s power, and the jumping to alternate tilines. I described how we got back and how we accidentally brought the wrong bodies with us. I was hesitant to tell her about the baby, but I knew it was important to figure out what went wrong.
“The baby is gone?” Lena asked, her voice high-pitched with shock.
“Yes. We don’t know where but... Sasha is really broken up about it.
“I can imagine. I’ve honestly never heard of such a thing. Lucas, there is a lot we have to talk about. When can you get back to the palace?”
“Sasha’s had a rough ti lately. She’s resting now and might need a few days to recover from the shock of it all. But we will head to the palace as soon as she’s ready.”
“Good. I will continue to work on possible explanations and possible solutions. I do worry that ti is a factor here, with the baby situation. Don’t take too long.”
“We won’t,” I promised.
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