Author Notes: I only went to see Underworld: Rise of the Lycans this weekend, and wow am I glad I went to see it on the big screen! Obvious spoilers of Underworld 3, as well as the other films. This was very spur of the moment, but I hope you enjoy it!

NB –Tomas is spoken with the Lithuanian pronunciation 'Toe-mas'

Disclaimer: I do not own anything.

Equinox

Part One: Sunset

Looking back, I can almost understand why Viktor did it. He was afraid, of course he was. But that will never dull the bitter pain I have carried over the centuries, the boiling hate over what he took from me, and the coiling anger when I look at what he replaced me with. As time has rolled ever onwards, so have I. Once in the thick of it, I now stand to the side, my light long stolen from my life, existing only in the twinning of the moon and the sun. The war once fought so fiercely is fading into the modern world, and so I watch from the shadows as I always have, waiting for her to see the truth.

The pain was excruciating, but the hidden terror she had seen within him had been worse. As she had felt herself die, so she had watched his soul die behind the eyes she knew so well. The love had been unquestionable, not even dampened by her fear, and for his part in that, she would be eternally grateful.

Of course, as she felt the sunlight sear into her as it never would to him, she had in that same moment felt a sense of relief. She was alone in that room with the only man she had ever truly loved, with the only one whom she knew had loved her in return. The last thing she had seen as she died were those eyes, the last thing she had felt aside from the pain was the phantom comfort of her unborn, and never to be born, child-

-and the first thing she had seen, as she gasped that first renewed burning breath, was the dark eyes of an old, sad and tired man, and his subsequent smile. A smile she might one day grow to hate. "My dear Sonja. Welcome back."

She lay there, sensing the telltale tingle of healing burns, knowing ten times over the impossibility of what she was feeling, and...the pulsing heartbeat, the gushing blood. This man was just that – a man. Not Lycan, nor Vampire. But no fear could she see behind his sad eyes, just a long acceptance. He helped her to sit up from the feather mattress, and for the first time, her eyes registered where she was. She swallowed, reminded all too much of the man she had thought to be her ever-loving father, by the room which looked so much like home.

Oh, but she felt so weak. A Death Dealer, daughter of an Elder, and she could barely focus, hardly lift her arms. He smiled again, and handed her a goblet, from which she drank, greedily, dimly registering the copper tang of human, rather than cow.

Her moonlight eyes focused on the man with renewed clarity. Was he a fool to sit there as he was? Alone with her in the room, there would be nothing to stop her from doing...anything. And yet, aside from the myriad of questions that flew around her mind, one shone ever-bright to the fore, "Where is Lucian?"

His face grew all the more wearisome, "All in good time my dear. You did die after all, and even for the immortal kin, that can be quite a shock."

"No." Sonja rebuffed his placations, "Where is Lucian?"

"The firstborn Lycan of whom you speak is currently residing at the home of your old Coven, defending it from your father's ever amassing armies. Much has changed while you have slept, Sonja, it will take a while for you to acclimatise."

"Take me to him." Sonja attempted to swing herself out of bed, only to be stopped by a firm hand.

"I will not."

She snarled, "And who are you to control what I do, human?"

"I am Alexander Corvinus, daughter, and you will do well to mark me."

Sonja's eyes faded to darkness as she stared at him, "But...that is impossible!"

"I assure you, it is not. I have kept a close eye on my sons since they were bitten, and what they did. William's plague and Markus' mistakes. And now, you, and Lucian of course."

"What do you want of us?"

"Want? My dear child, have you honestly yet to ask yourself why it is you still live?" He slowly reached forwards and rested his palm on her stomach, "The child that grows within you is barely a star upon your cheeks, and yet he is already performing the impossible. A merging of the two bloodlines, the child of a born Lycan and a Death Dealer; stronger that both. So strong, indeed, that the sun will never sear his skin, nor that of his mother for as long as she carries him."

Sonja blinked, only able to stare between him and his hand. So many thoughts screamed through her mind. She had died...and was yet reborn once more. Lucian, her dear Lucian, and her father – the murderer of his grandson as well as his daughter. She stopped short, "He? My...Lucian's child, is to be a son?"

Alexander smiled truly for the first time since she had awoken, "Yes, my dear. As only an Immortal such as I may know, the first to walk in the rays of the sun and beams of the moon shall indeed be your firstborn son."

With every moonrise, Sonja would watch her unborn son grow within her. She knew it would be too dangerous to return to Lucian with the affairs as they were, and even whilst it wrenched at her very being to be away from him, Corvinus had explained to her what had happened since the Coven had ordered her execution.

The first Immortal had been watching closely, and had known more than perhaps she was comfortable him knowing. When Lucian had taken the castle, her body had no longer been inside. It had been taken by Tanis, along with those of the Elders, upon her father's orders. She was unable to say what she thought of this, and honestly tried not to dwell. Corvinus told her of the bloody revenge Lucian took upon the remnants of her old Coven when he realised Viktor – who had not died by his hand as he had hoped – had robbed him of truly saying goodbye. She could not say she disliked Lucian's actions.

And it really had been out of bitterness, or at least, that was what Sonja saw. Viktor had ordered Tanis to dispose of her body once they were safely far enough downstream, but the strange Vampire had instead willingly handed her body to Corvinus at the Immortal's request. She wondered if one day she might understand Tanis and his motives, although she thought this unlikely.

And so she was forced to live day by day in a castle of humans, to listen to reports of the war, but never see it, Lucian so far away beyond the sea that sprayed the ramparts at it stormed. She dearly wished to be by his side, to fight for their lives and their love, but she knew Lucian, and she knew how his feelings worked. He would love her even if she did go to him. But he would forever fret about both her and their unborn son, and that worry could get him killed.

And so instead she sent word via a man of Corvinus, bearing a seal of her making, ordering him to tell Lucian of what had happened. To tell Lucian that both she and their child lived.

She would not discover until centuries later that the message was never sent, deemed too likely to cause damage to the equilibrium of the war. After all, Corvinus had sworn only to watch, unable to bear working directly against either of his sons and what they had caused.

Raze watched on as Lucian punched the wall, only stepping forwards to stop his friend after he drew back for the fourth time, his hand mangled and bloody. He did not say anything, and nor did he need to. He simply stood, waiting for Lucian's ragged, out of control breathing to calm slightly. The Born-Lycan, and leader of the war against their former masters, had held it together for the entire encounter, and it was only now, in the safety of the keep and the company of a friend that he had finally dropped the mask. It had only meant to be a simple reconnaissance mission, a way of training some of the younger human-Lycan volunteers. They had just wanted to know what Viktor was planning. And then they had watched as Death Dealers, led by Viktor's new favourite, Kraven, had helped a new Vampire, weak still from being newly turned, into their stronghold.

The man's long dark hair dropped in blood-caked strands as he bowed his head, shoulders sagging as his energy faded. His voice was so soft that had Raze not been of Lycan blood, he doubted he would have heard, "She looks just like Sonja."

Having been a Death Dealer for most of her life, fear was not something Sonja knew well. And yet as another spasm of pain seared through her, and she bit back yet another scream, never before had she wished so fervently for Lucian to be by her side, telling her those same soft words he had the day her father had her burned.

She really did scream that time, as her thoughts turned to the last time she had seen Lucian's face. Her whole body shook as she clamped her lapis eyes tight shut and drew scarlet blood from her own lips. And then a second cry seemed to intermingle with her own, and the pain had dulled to a background ache as an overwhelming rush of relief, joy and sadness intermingled in her chest.

The human woman who had been helping with the birth smiled as she swathed the baby in blankets, "Your son, milady"

Gently, despite her exhaustion, Sonja took her son in her arms. His cries had ceased almost immediately, and now his eyes were shut to her in peace; a true child of Corvinus blood. His skin was as pale as her own, and as she placed her forehead to rest upon his small cheek, their obsidian locks of hair seemed to intermingle as one. The little impossible child snuffled, and opened his eyes to regard his mother. Sonja felt her breath catch in her throat as she looked into the dark-ocean eyes, eyes which she knew so well. She smiled. Her son, a mixing of the blood, a twinning of the moon and the sun, of the dark and the light, and of his mother and his father, "Tomas."

Sonja swayed on the spot, her first instinct to turn and check on her son, still sleeping peacefully, just to check that her life had not been completely snatched from her. It was, it just couldn't... "How can you be sure?"

Alexander sighed, "I am sorry, child. The Vampires have won. Kraven brought back in contestable proof of Lucian's defeat, and what is left of the Lycans is scattered into the earth. He is dead."

Sonja sat heavily, staring blankly before her. Could they never win? In but two days, Tomas would turn one year of age, and they were to have set off together to find his father, her Lucian. And now that had been snatched from them, and her son would never know his father but from the stories she could tell. The knowledge she would rejoin with Lucian had been what kept her steady in her long time apart, especially as communications between them had been rendered impossible because of the war and for Tomas' safety.

Her gaze settled on her son, and resolve building within her mind. She turned back to the Immortal, "We will still leave. I cannot stay here."

"But you are safe here, both of you are."

"Perhaps, but to stay here would be to remind myself everyday of the person I was. Tomas deserves to grow up as what he is. Not an abomination of his parents' love, and not a novelty of the Corvinus line. He is my son, and we will be fine as long as we are together."

"At least let me keep an eye on you from afar."

Sonja smiled softly, "You seem to have a knack for doing such even without our permission, Alexander."

She rose, silently moving over to stand above her son. The Immortal regarded her a moment longer, before turning to leave, knowing she would not allow herself grief within his company.

Yes, he had been right not to tell her of Kraven and Lucian's plan. It would be too dangerous for the child to be dragged into that messy charade.

Lucian shivered in the dark and the damp, trying to ignore the throbbing in his torn and bloody arm. It left a bitter taste in his mouth, making a deal with that Vampire, Kraven. But he also knew they couldn't just keep dying as they had been. There were so few of the original Lycan slaves left, and even less of William's bitten. Sabas' death had been painful for all of them.

He choked back a hiss as Raze checked on the makeshift cloth that bound his arm. Over the years, his regenerative ability had increased incredibly, but tearing off a rather large proportion of one's skin tends to take a while to heal. Raze did not speak, his silent disapproving gaze checking the rest of Lucian over. He quirked a small smile, "You didn't honestly expect the Vampire to have the guts to take my tattoo himself, did you? Besides, I found it gave me a profound sense of catharsis." His breath hitched again.

"You are more injured than you said." Raze's steadfast rumble of a voice thrummed in the dank tunnel, the remains of a water system left from a long abandoned castle.

"Yes, well..." He shivered again, the cold seeping into his bones.

Raze did not comment further, casting his eyes around the little group of them. They were scattered now, with a lingering promise to wait out their eternity until Lucian sent out the call to arms. They were the last of their closest allies from the beginning. Xristo met his gaze, and they shared a common recognition of worry for their leader. Sometimes self-preservation was a little too low down on Lucian's priorities. Xristo nodded, and spoke, "We should rest here tonight. I for one could do with the sleep, as I'm sure could we all. There is no need to continue west until we drop – Viktor thinks he has won."

Lucian smiled gratefully at his friend, letting his eyes slide shut as he curled up, wolf-like, with those of his inner pack.

It would be a long couple of centuries.

To Be Continued...

Author Notes: Any thoughts and feedback would be greatly appreciated!