Day One Thousand Two Hundred

Dear Diary,

I am painfully aware of what day it is. I'm not sure I could fail to be aware of it. Kinda weird, now that I've recognized the pattern, that I'm so worried about it.

No, not that I'm worried about it. It's definitely something to worry about. But I'm... This isn't something coming at me. It's not even something that I can reliably jump in front of the bullet on, because so few of the times it's happened have been something where there was in fact a bullet to jump in front of. Fuck, most of the times I came in on the tail of someone or something else having done something days, weeks, even months beforehand, and I just had to unfuck shit.

But my path through space and time has, once every hundred days, intersected with one or more Children in some kind of... Shit, I can't even say 'Mortal Peril', what with the largest single number being Undead kids that I subsequently Revived. But kids in deep shit relying on me to pull them out.

The fact that I now have almost thirty kids, almost all of them Children, has not slipped under my personal radar in conjunction with that hundred day pattern either. Yeah, most of the time if my kids were involved, it was prior to me adopting them. Like I'm pretty sure none of our adopted kids came from that Undead pit, but I can't be absolutely certain that none of Marie's five weren't kids I Cured of the Plague at some point. But even there, at least twice my kids were deliberately targeted. First by Loviatar, then later by Lyssa.

Gah. 'Almost thirty kids'. The Kid Collective has gotten way out of hand, and I realize that, but at the same time? I don't think any of us would undo anything we've done that got us here. Shit, I'm pretty sure that Marie wants to have more, and Saffron and I each want to bear each other's kids, and if some kind comes wandering in out of the cold and says 'I have no family and need a place to stay' they're more likely to wind up part of the Kid Collective than any other single possibility.

So yesterday was Tuesday, where I had the whole horde under my supervision, and while they weren't at the Homestead, they were in Troll Home, and if I'm still the single most powerful military force in Atlantis, the Legion sure as shit is dominating second place. Also, there is something to be said for the better part of a thousand Minds being better able to deal with a thousand separate instances of danger better than my single Mind trying to deal with a thousand things one after another. Yeah, I'm fast as fuck now, but I'm not that fast. Also, shit can in fact happen simultaneously, and if it's something I can deal with by reacting to, I might be able to deal with two things at the same time, but dealing with two simultaneous riddles is something I very carefully do not think about because that is right in the middle of my weak point.

Never thought teaching my own kids Math would wind up being a balm to my worry, but here we are.

At the end of the day, all the Homestead kids said their farewells to their Troll sisters, who would be staying with the Legion until the end of the day Saturday, when they'd come over to join us for Sunday Dinner and family therapy. I'm honestly not sure if it really qualifies as 'family therapy' any more, what with the 'family' being larger than some of the farmsteads the Expedition visited, but fuck it. Some therapy happens, the whole family is there, I'm calling it family therapy. At least until someone I respect gives me a reason I shouldn't.

In case it's not completely obvious, my upcoming twelve hundredth day here had me on edge.

I'm also not super copacetic about my Troll girls not being at the Homestead today, and it took everything I had not to ask Furtim to bring them over to visit. Shit, I'd be okay with her bringing the whole fuckin' Legion to the Homestead. Might be a little chilly if they didn't all fit indoors, but I would also be okay with packing the whole fuckin' Homestead full of armed Troll bodies and hiding away until the day was over.

Of course, given exactly how my most paranoid plans usually turned out, not to mention how shit goes sideways those days, I think we might have ventilation problems or some shit like that.

At any rate, Marie handled dinner, because I was in no shape to. Chicken tendies, waffles, and Marie's sweet gravy syrup. My Murder Mittens does know what I like, and I ought to do something nice for her once Thursday is in the rear view.

Soaked in the Bath, vaguely missing how the Tiger and Troll girls had been doing underwater shit while they were all in the Bath. Then again, they were getting big and numerous enough that maybe they ought not be making with the horseplay.

Saffron picked up on my tension, slipped in behind me, and whispered, "whatever comes, we will face it together, love."

Missed whatever she did to drop us both onto the Bed, my head pillowed on her breasts, but I think I tensed, up. She chuckled, at any rate, and returned us to the Bath. I mostly relaxed as I saw all the kids in the tub; some playing, some chatting, some just relaxing and soaking in the Bath.

"Uh... Can you... No, I should let Bill or Angel or the Camden Yards Headmaster know that I won't be there tomorrow..."

She just smiled at me. So... I dunno, not cute. Heartwarming, maybe, that I could feel her smile even when she wasn't looking at me. "Already taken care of, love."

Didn't quite realize that she didn't mean what I thought she meant until I started hearing more noise than usual from downstairs. Like, enough to hear from the Bath. When I hopped one of me to look, I recognized the kids from the Troll Home Temple. A couple of whom had to sit on their butts and crawl around, but they were still looking around the room like it was the coolest thing they'd ever seen.

Then the doors opened, and the Legion started filing in, led by my Troll Girls and their mom.

I got a kiss on the forehead at that point. "I will be standing by the Homestead Defenses, which have been reinforced. Barring some Deity more powerful than Loviatar attempting to harm our Children, they will all be safe."

I think some tears slipped out at that point. Then my traitorous brain slipped words out of my mouth. "What about the kids at the Temples?"

She shook her head. "Those who can, mostly the orphans, will be visiting the North and South Houses. The Temples themselves will be on high alert as well."

I melted a little. "I'm sorry, Kitten."

"For what? Some future villain has broken time and space to do harm unto Children in your path. This was not your doing. If anything, you have time and again Changed the world to see them all safe."

I held her there for a bit, just weeping with relief.

Then... Then Tallulah's voice slipped into my brain.

The Lord of Sun's Harbor bids you attend to him.

I growled out. I am not in a great headspace for political bullshit.

I don't deserve my ladies. Tallulah's response came back calm, yet firm. I am aware. I also believe this situation has been engineered, and not by him.

Explain.

Sun's Harbor is a vastly influential port in the Homeland of the Dan, Bag, Mor, and above all Sidhe. It is also, not unlike Lancaster in Phileo, separated by distance and culture from the Morrigan's Court, enough that it is our most likely entry point into Sidhe high society, such as it is. No other Court has enough influence to force the Morrigan's Court to recognize us without being so beholden to the Morrigan's Throne that our adversary could prevent them from recognizing us.

I did everything I could to keep my temper. I am perilously close to reminding the Sidhe that their Homeland is also the Home of the Mor. And that I was there first.

Her reply was like a glass of cold water in the face. It didn't shut my temper down, but it did shock me enough to kick my brain into gear. That is your right, should you choose, but know that doing so here, in the Court of Sun's Harbor, now, when your presence has been requested, could not only start a war to the knife, but do so in a manner that would pit the Alliance against all of them.

I froze for a bit. Looked around the Homestead at the collected might of the Troll Legion. Remembered how fast London Castle fell.

Then I took a deep breath. If I show up, play nice, what's the likely outcome?

She sounded really tense when she said, I believe, if you convince him both that Aisling Leanan is alive, well, and cared for as our own Child, that he will begin rallying other Courts to stand against Leanan's claim to the Morrigan's throne.

I felt the ice in my own reply, even though I tried desperately to keep it from freezing my long tall Sidhe Lady. You mean that on my twelve hundredth day here, he's going to want me to parade my most recently traumatized girl in front of him?

To his credit, he is likely to start an entire political movement to bring her mother to Justice for abandoning her Child without cause.

I closed my eyes. All of them. Froze there, focusing on those tentacles around my Maw, scooping that black sand in until my voice came out dead flat. Is sunset soon enough?

A few moments later she replied, If you can arrive before the sun fully sets, it should be?

Fine. I'll be there at sunset.

Didn't fuckin' sleep at all. Couldn't. Stayed in the Bath all night. Co-Located some of me in and out of the Temples, North and South House, even one of me sneaking around Lancaster House Blended to a fare-thee-well.

A couple hours before dawn, I stepped to the docks in Boltophsberg. A disheveled looking Lemmy, sans shirt, showed up a few minutes later. "Champion?"

I nodded. "Pyevatar home?"

He gave me a smug look. "She awaits my return impatiently."

"Okay then. Let her know I might need to delay sunset tomorrow. If I do, I'll pay her back somehow."

I didn't wait for him to reply, just collapsed back to myself. In the morning, I was not entirely copacetic with doing my normal Co-Located day, but some part of me rebelled at the thought of cowering in the Homestead, so out to work I went. Spent the day guarding bodies, playing seat cushion, teaching Camden Yards Cadets the fine art of not jumping in, because that's how counter-ambushes happen, cooking dinner, and above all watching the kids. All the kids, the entire hoard horde, the full Kid Collective, plus all the other kids temporarily sheltering in the Homestead.

The full Mom Collective Co-Located to the Homestead to be with me.

Around noon, I pulled Aisling aside from where she'd been talking with the musical kits. With Hailee standing nearby for support, I said, "Aisling, I might need you to come with me later. Do you think you'll be up for that?"

She tensed. "Where? When? Why?"

Secretly thrilled that she'd managed to say all that without dropping into that breathless, near inaudible whisper, I said, "the Lord of a Court wants to make sure you're safe and healthy."

She did not look thrilled. Shrank a little, and not in any kind of mystic way, just the way an abused kid will when they're confronted with their abuser. Then my heart swelled as she reached out one hand, grasped one of Hailee's fingers, and said, "okay."

I pulled her to me and hugged her. Did the same with all of her sisters in the room.

Then nearly lost my shit entirely when Karen showed up. "Goddess!"

"Shit! What?" Before I even finished speaking, following some instinct, maybe some deep intuition, or possibly a pull from my Altar, I stepped to my Altar in Phileo.

Giselle stood there, blood everywhere, holding a wailing, bloody Tabson.

I didn't think, just slapped a Stabilize on them both as I burned an Assess out of my cheek, first for him, then for her. I caught him as she slumped to the Altar, at which point he let out a colossal shart. Before I could do anything about that, Karen's voice rang through my brain. Cherry!

I'd been to their room before. I Co-Located there now.

Blood. So much blood, coating Cherry's ass, his thighs, splattered all over his bed. I didn't think a body his size could hold that much blood.

Then he groaned. Heaved, like I'd seen at least four other times since I'd gotten here. Marie. Siobhan. Bonnie, twice.

"Stop."

I stood there in the lightless stillness, waiting for her to show.

Remembered a second later that she wouldn't. Why she wouldn't. I reached down, holding that black sand in the core of me to steady my hand as I slit open his belly, peeling back skin, then a surprisingly thick layer of fat, then muscle. Then amniotic fluid burst across the room, thick as fresh blood, hotter still, and a bundle flopped into my arms.

I didn't forget the fuckin' afterbirth this time. Silent, still baby in one hand, I cleaned Cherry's manufactured womb out, then slowly, carefully Shaped that Healing Shape to fix him up without any scars.

My most devoted Priest emptied and Healed, his...  Our... Son in my arms, I stepped back into time.

Where the little one barfed out some gunk, then started wailing.