Treasure growled to herself, watching Jason play with Aliya. This was not right! He should be bonding with his
real daughter, not this child of the pretend heir.
She already hated Aliya--the little girl embodied everything she despised in the world. Grace's heirship, Grace and Jason's bond, the battle that would come between Cyllia and Aliya, the battle that Cyllia
must win.
No. No. No. It simply should not, would not, could not do.
Grace also passed through the hall, but her picture was a happy one. She and Jason exchanged a smile, and she and Blake a secret, meaningful glance.
Everything was so much easier now that Aliya was here. She and Jason were happier than ever, and she and Blake--were even more complicated, but that could wait. At least they were all happy. Babies had that effect on a household. But, in the back of her mind, Grace knew that a wrong word or forgetting to lock the bedroom door would make everything fall apart.
"He just won't get away from Aliya!" Treasure complained over the chess table. "Maybe he would, if Blake wasn't
always with Cyllia, but he thinks he's her father and has a responsibility to her! I need to find a way to . . . break everything apart and make Jason mine."
"Uh-huh?" Mist responded casually, the gears in her head spinning smoothly. Let Treasure find out about the affair, destroy the marriage, and steal Blake right out of Grace's grasp. Effortless. "We can discuss that further, but I left my phone in your room this morning when I woke you up. Be a dear and go fetch it for me?"
Grace and Blake knew that it would be a quick encounter, so they didn't bother to lock the door.
Grace caught sight of Treasure first as she entered the room, and thanked the Watcher that she and Blake weren't kissing at the time. She began to greet Treasure, alerting Blake to her presence--
Just then, Blake kissed her, unknowingly being watched by his wife.
Grace pulled away, and Blake turned as Treasure walked silently across the floor. Her eyes were dark, deep--almost terrifying.
"Blaaaake," she greeted him sweetly, in a sing-song voice, "what is this?"
"Oh, well, I--" he began to lie but, with a look at Grace, became firm. "Grace and I have been seeing each other for a very long time."
He and Grace smiled at each other. Treasure smiled, too. "And now you're going to get rid of her and come back to me. Because you love me so much that you would do anything for me, right?'
"Treasure," Grace said quietly, "Blake and I love each other and he's married to you, and Jason and I love each other and we're married. But I know that Blake is going to choose me, not you."
"What? N-n-no!" Her eyes filled with tears. Inside her head, all of the wheels and springs and gears that had begun to rebuild themselves to work normally, to cure the mental damage done long ago, broke apart.
Both Grace and Blake felt waves of remorse at Treasure's crushed look, but one of them kissed the other and they returned to being assured in that they had chosen the right path.
Then Treasure grinned.
She glided past them, still smiling, and out the door.
"Yes, sweetie, the circle peg goes right
there! Good job! Everything goes in its place, Cyllia. Your place is at the very top. They go at the very bottom. Understand?"
Cyllia wrinkled her little nose, disbelieving of her mama. She was too smart to believe everything Treasure said, but was smart enough to pretend to. "Yes, Mama. The very bottom."
Still in the bedroom, Grace and Blake stood quietly for a moment, just processing. "Would you have chosen her over me, if it hadn't happened this way?" Grace finally asked.
Blake sighed, moving close to her. "Everything is just a mess."
"I know," she whispered. "Now, I'm going to go shower and get ready for bed. Meet back here in an hour?"
"Of course." He left, walking down the hall and making a left into Mist's room.
Blake couldn't help but smile at the mere sight of her, even if he wondered why. Mist constantly ridiculed him, never showed any compassion, and had barely even acknowledged that they had any sort of emotional connection. But, in her own way, that was Mist showing affection.
"Mind if I join you?" he asked and, with a little shrug from Mist, approached the chess table. Just as he began to take a seat, Mist gasped and clutched her stomach.
Blake had delivered dozens of babies in his residency, but the sight of his own coming into the world-- "Oh my, oh my, oh my--"
"Get out, you idiot!" Mist snarled. Blake began to protest, only to find himself bodily removed by a woman who was going into labor and didn't need any other problems.
