******

[Seventeen hours later]

[Trey]

"I see the head!  It's crowning!"

Diana was practically screaming from the pain, face sheened with sweat, as 
Trey knelt between her legs.

Diana was panting hard, the pain from the labour becoming almost too 
much. She wanted it to be over. She relaxed for a second.

"One more push, come on, you can do it," he encouraged as the head slipped 
back momentarily.

She pushed and groaned, cursing the pain.
She let out an unintelligible sound, then the tiny head emerged.  It seemed 
to freeze there for a moment, with its father's hands cradling it, then the 
shoulders slipped out and it slid into his waiting hands.

The room seemed to fall silent as they waited.

Diana waited expectantly. "Oh please let the baby be alright" she prayed 
silently, waiting for its cry.
 
"Come on, little one," Trey crooned as he cleared the slime from in front 
of its blue lips.  The baby grimaced at the touch and then they all 
distinctly heard its first breath, followed by the unmistakeable wail of a 
newborn.

Diana breathed a sigh of relief as she heard the cry. It was alive and 
going to be alright.

They all breathed a sigh of relief.

"It's a girl," Trey said.

Diana laughed with joy, and then tensed again.

"Okay," D'ssarian said, wiping her face, "one more time, and it's all over."

Diana pushed again and slightly more quickly this time, another little 
girl was born. She also cryed as soon as Trey cleared her face.

"Two little girls" Diana looked at them in wonderment as she held them in 
her arms.

"Treanya and Dareeni" Trey said quietly, smiling at Diana and their new 
daughters.

******
After Diana and the babies were cleaned up, Trey looked at Diana "I am 
going to go get B'rin, ok?"

She smiled up at him. "Of course." She then chuckled. "What an introduction!"

They both laughed and then Trey stepped out of the room.

---------------

They stepped into the room where Diana lay exhausted but still beaming, her 
arms full with two bundles.  Trey gently took one and laid it in B'rin's 
arms, adjusting his son's hold just a little.  "This is Treanya."

B'rin looked down into wide blue eyes.  A small wisp of blond hair was 
laying against her cheek, having escaped the cap she had on her head.  She 
was so tiny, only halfway to his elbow from the tip of his fingers.  "She's 
so small."

"Excuse me?"

Trey looked up to see a face he hadn't seen in many months.  "Retala?"

"Trey, how good to see you, and under such happy circumstances," she said, 
smiling, then turned to B'rin.  "I just wanted to let you know your mother 
sent me to make sure you were okay.  I'll be around.  Bye."

"Retala," Trey said, "you are not getting out of here without cooing over 
my new daughters first."
 
Diana beamed even larger as she heard Trey's words. "his daughters". But, 
she wondered who this woman was, that Trey appeared to know so well. A 
rider from Telnor it appeared.

Retala laughed and stepped over to B'rin, gazing down at the baby in his 
arms.  "She's beautiful, Trey.  And B'rin's such a natural holding her.  
Better watch that, boy, or you'll have all the women after you."  B'rin 
blushed as she winked at him.  She then went and quietly peeked at the 
other.  "Identical twins!  I don't envy you.  Oh, but they're so perfect.  
What are their names?"
 
"Treanya and Darenni," Diana answered, smiling quietly.

"Well, I'd ask to hold one, but I'm not exactly clean and this should be a 
family thing.  Congratulations."

She walked out of the room.

B'rin cautiously handed his little sister back to Trey.

"You're not leaving are you?" Trey asked.

"I need to go get breakfast.  I'll be back in a bit."

Trey nodded.  "See you, son."

Trey sat down next to Diana, alone at last with just her and the twins.

"Their eyes are so blue," she said.

"Yes, babies' eyes frequently are.  They may change with time."

"Darrin's eyes were blue."

Diana, lost in memories of Darrin, grew sad. He would have loved the 
girls. Even thought she loved Trey, she sometimes missed him so much.

Trey sat, hearing the sadness in his mate's voice.  He gently shifted so he 
could take her hand.  "I love you, Diana.  It would be good for them to be 
his, but I'll love them just the same, regardless."

She sighed. She knew Trey loved her and the girls, just sometimes, she 
worried.....

He laid Treanya in the crib beside her bed, then took Darenni from her and 
did the same.  "Scoot over."

She complied, with difficulty, and Trey stretched out beside her, his 
fingers brushing her hair from her face.  He leaned over and kissed her, 
then slipped his arms around her.  They lay together quietly till they 
drifted to sleep.
 

Trey jerked awake curled up next to Diana.  A baby was crying.  He sat up to 
see Retala rocking the girl as B'rin looked on.  "Hi," Trey greeted.  "How 
long have I been asleep?"

"You and Diana have both been asleep for several hours.  I'd guess it's 
maybe 3:30 by now."

"Sorry."

"That's okay.  You were both exhausted.  B'rin and I have been talking.  I 
don't think this is doing any good.  I think she's hungry."

Diana moaned and sat up. She had heard the babies and the voices, but had 
had to struggle to wakefulness. She now reached for her daughter.

Trey slipped from the bed and took the babe, Darenni, to her mother.  Diana 
opened her blouse, then struggled for a moment with the infant.

"I can't seem to get her to suckle." Diana was concerned. What if the 
babies weren't strong enough to eat?

"Here, let me help.  Rub her cheek against you.  Most babies will turn their 
heads instinctively..."

Retala noticed that B'rin had turned away, blushing, from the scene of his 
father and his new mate and the infant.  Give him time, she thought, and 
he'll die of embarrassment yet.

Treanya took that moment to start crying as well. Diana tensed and looked 
worried. She couldn't handle both at once.

Sina arrived to help out then, carrying a baby bottle.

Soon they had the situation mostly under control and were sitting and talking.

"So, what's been happening at Telnor lately?" Trey asked as he sat feeding 
Treanya from the bottle.

(Insert conversation about goings on at Telnor)

They heard a distant trumpetting and then Trey felt the heat through his body.

His mind was filled with images of Kirimith.  Her voice taunting in his 
head.  Trey looked at his mate in apology.  "Diana... I..."

Diana looked upset, but the words she said were understanding.  "Go.  Koroth 
needs to fly a few of these, you know." Diana had a hard time saying 
these words, but she knew what being a dragonrider meant.

Retala took the baby and bottle from his arms.  He walked out.  B'rin was on 
his heels.

Retala turned to Trey's new mate and smiled.  "Dragons don't have a very 
good sense of timing, do they?"

"No, they don't." Diana sighed "I ahte to admit it, but I really hope 
Koroth doesn't win. I want Trey here with me the the babies."

Retala nodded. "I am glad he has found happiness."

Diana smiled. "he has broght me so much love and happiness also. I don't 
know what I would do without him."

They fell into silence as the babies continued to eat, and soon Treanya 
and Dareeni were sound asleep. Retala lay Treanya in her crib and 
suddenly stiffened as another dragon trumpeted.

"Rimanda" she whispered. Diana looked on as Retala left the room, her 
eyes vacant, lost in her dragons passion.

[Night after the mating flights]

[B'rin]

He stepped shyly into Diana's room at the Medical Center.  The blond woman 
looked beyond him and when his father wasn't forthcoming, looked the 
question at him.

He blushed and stared down at the floor.  "Koroth won Rimanda-- that's 
Retala's dragon."

Diana nodded.  "I see."

"I'm sure he... I mean..."  He didn't know what he meant, so he stopped.

"It's okay.  It's the way of dragons."

He nodded and shyly sat in a chair.

"I don't think your father's ever mentioned Retala.  They appear to know 
each other fairly well, though.  Was she in his wing?"

"Retala?  She was... his Wingsecond."  He didn't know what his father had 
told her of his old life.  He decided not to mention anything else.

Diana's smile froze on her face. His wingsecond? The woman who he had had 
an affair with when his illness first started?

"Diana?" B'rin looked at her questioningly.

Diana shoke herself out of her daze. She had to trust Trey. He was well 
now. she had nothing to worry about. It was just the dragons way. She 
smiled at B'rin. "Sorry was lost in memories for a minute. Now what were 
you saying?"

******
Diana was restless. She knew she had no right to expect Trey back after 
the mating flight, but still she kept looking at the door, waiting. The 
girls seemed to know her nerves were on edge, as they were calm, waking 
only rarely to be fed. B'rin had finally given up waiting and left at 
around 10pm. She smiled, thinking to herself that they had had a good 
visit. She hoped he had felt the same.

Diana finally gave up looking at the door and drifted into a fitful sleep.

******

Diana awoke a few times in the night to feed the babies, hoping each time 
that she would find Trey there. But every time, she was disappointed.

******

She wondered where he was. Breakfast was already over with and she had 
had a very nice visit with Minty and still Trey 
had not appeared. She sighed, wondering why he had not come back yet.

Dareeni began to fuss slightly. Diana picked her up and started to feed 
her, watching Treanya sleep as she did so. They were so beautiful.

"Diana?"
 
Diana's heart jumped happily as she heard Trey's voice.

She looked up from feeding a baby and smiled at him.  The smile faltered as 
she saw the strained look on his face.

"Trey, what's wrong?" She knew immediately that something was wrong, he 
looked....guilty. Her heart began to beat faster, almost not wanting to 
know what he had to say.

Like a supplicant, he dropped to his knees by her bedside and took her 
hand there, the tears springing to his eyes anew.  "Oh, gods, Diana, I love 
you...  I... I'm so sorry."

She sat up then, fear in her eyes.  "Sorry for what, Trey?" No, he was 
going to leave her! He had rediscovered his love for Retala during the 
mating flight. Diana felt her heart beginning to crumble.

"I... lost control.  No.  I... I never got it back after the flight...  
I... Oh, gods!"

The baby, sensing her mother's tension, began to cry.  Diana laid her back 
in the bedside crib with her sister, heedless of her fussiness, overwhelmed 
by Trey's obvious distress.  "Tell me what happened?  Trey, what did you do?"
 
"After... after the dragon's mating, and after we'd slept some... I woke up 
with Retala... and she... and I..."  His voice choked and he squeezed his 
pounding head as if to stop it from exploding.

"You what?" she asked, though her voice held some hint that she had 
guessed. They had discovered how much they really loved each other. 
Dareeni and Treanya would grow up without a father.....a tear slipped 
from Diana's eye.

He was trembling more with each passing moment, but there was no turning 
back.  "Retala and I... made love."  He buried his face in his hands.  "I 
don't understand how I could have...  It was like I was out of control...  
I...  Oh, gods, don't let it be happening again!"

Diana sat stunned. He was worried that his illness was coming back?

"Trey? You didn't come in here to tell me that you had rediscovered your 
love for retala? That you were leaving me?" Diana asked with a tremble in 
her voice.

Trey looked up horrified. "No, Diana. Gods no! I love you....you and the 
girls with all my heart. I lost control. I don't know what happened. I 
couldn't stop myself!" He dropped his head in his hands again, sobbing.

Diana was lost. Her heart was warring within her. Relief that he wasn't 
leaving her. Anger and jealousy over what had happened. Worry that it was 
a sign of his illness coming back. Emotions played over her face as she 
sat lost and confused.

"Trey, its alright" She leaned towards him, gathering him into her arms. 
For better or worse, she loved this man. He owned her heart and soul. 
They had two brand new daughters to raise. She would be there for him as 
long as he wanted her.

"Trey, we can have D'ssarian check you out, try to make sure the tumour 
isn't regrowing. But, no matter what, I love you...." She took his face 
in her hands, staring at his tearfilled eyes, those mismatched eyes, that 
she loved so much. "We have a wonderful life ahead of us, and we are 
going to live it. You have two new beautiful daughters, as well as your 
other children, who need you. You will pull yourself together......I need 
you." She said these last words softly. "I love you Trey, no matter what."

----------------------------------------------------------------------

NRPG: There ya go, Lynette, Diana's reaction!

To all, this will probably be my last post here in marrid til at least 
the 31st or 1st. I will be leaving town the day after Christmas for a few 
days. Everyone have a wonderful holiday!


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                        Kat Harris: catwoman@indy.net


Sysop of Circus of the Mind BBS (317) 888-8755  (Katmandu)

http://www.indy.net/~catwoman