Derek's eyes snapped open the instant he heard Odette's voice as it broke through his sleep.

"It's time…"

What had she said that morning? That the baby would be due any day, that's what she'd said. It felt as if it had been mere minutes since he had laid his head down on the pillow next to hers and closed his eyes.

He didn't even dream that night was the night.

His mind wasted no time in reacting. He immediately got out of bed and helped Odette up and held her hand as he guided her down the hall to the castle's infirmary.

Once he arrived, he called for the help of a nurse who was the only person in the room. Derek knew her well, as did Odette. She was the midwife.

From there, things seemed to happen so quickly that he had no control over them. He was allotted one last kiss with Odette before he was rushed from the room, much to his worry.

He stood and stared at the door, much like the time he and Odette had met for the first time as adults. However, this time, it wasn't out of spiteful anger. It was out of worry. And fear. And hope. And a strange mixture of about a thousand other emotions coursing through his veins, making his already aching heart beat faster.

Derek's anxieties were somewhat relaxed – by force, that is – when Rogers, his best friend and councilor showed up.

"She'll be alright, Derek," Rogers said, his voice taking on a fatherly tone.

"I- I know," Derek stammered, trying to sound half as confident as Rogers.

"She's been through it before," Rogers reminded him.

Derek nodded his agreement. Thinking of his son, Eli, who had been born four years before, and then his first born daughter, Alexandra, who had been born two years before him, had made him feel better, if only slightly. Everything had gone more than smoothly, and Derek and Odette's first two children were born healthy.

"Still…" Derek trailed off.

"Still?"

"There's a lot that could go wrong."

"Derek," Rogers said as patiently as he could, "she'll be just fine. Don't worry. Why don't you check on Eli and Alex?"

Derek nodded once and walked off, taking quit steps as he did so. His fingers drummed against his legs as he moved along. He clenched his hands into tight, nervous fists in an effort to stop himself, but he soon himself flexing his fingers anxiously.

He turned into the corridor that held Eli's room. To his amused surprise, he could see his son sneaking out of his room, trying to close the heavy wooden door as quietly as he could.

Derek cleared his throat loudly, and in startled response, Eli stopped dead in his tracks. As he turned around, Eli could see Derek standing tall over him, with one eyebrow raised in interested and smiling contempt.

Eli grinned innocently up at Derek, who smirked in return.

"Come on," Derek said, holding out his hand. "The baby's on the way."

He first walked across the hallway to the room that was directly in front of Eli's. This room was Alex's. He quietly opened the door and smiled a little more when he saw his daughter sleeping soundly. Carefully, he picked her up, whispering an explanation when she muttered something unintelligible.

They walked down the corridors – slower this time – quietly. Eli had been asking for months about his new little brother or sister. Together, they waited outside the infirmary.

Alex seemed to be just as anxious, but she was definitely quieter about it.

She was mature beyond her six years, a trait she had received from her mother, much like the shape of her face and the color of her eyes. It seemed that Derek's only real contribution was the head of brown hair that framed Alex's face.

Eli was a copy of Derek, right down to his less than welcoming attitude toward girls that weren't his sister. He was energetic and already athletically inclined – not that Alex couldn't keep up with him when the occasion called for it.

The two of them were Odette and Derek's pride and joy, the objects of their affection. All four of them were excited about the new addition to the family, each in their own way.

XxX

It seemed like an entire year that Odette was in labor. It seemed like the anxiety of an entire summer, spring, fall, and winter were captured in those three hours.

Derek sat on the floor against the wall opposite the door of the infirmary. Alex and Eli were curled up under his arms on either side of him. They didn't seem to be paying too much attention to what was going on, as it was very late, but Derek's blue eyes were fixed on the door with unwavering focus.

But finally, when one cry stopped, another started. Derek breathed a sigh of momentary relief, but then remembered that Odette wasn't out of the woods yet, so to speak.

A few more minutes passed, and, at long last, the midwife exited the room, holding in her arms a very tiny bundle of a blanket. She was smiling, a sign Derek knew to be very good. Everyone, the new baby included, had gotten through everything just fine.

Derek gingerly took the child in his arms and felt his heart warm when he looked at the baby's tiny face.

"A girl," the midwife said. "Joan."

Derek said nothing for a moment, too lost in his daughter's little blue eyes. She looked just like Odette. Blonde hair, blue eyes; an exact copy.

Seeing that her new sister had been brought out, Alex tapped on Eli's shoulder, waking him up from his little nap that he had slipped into as he was waiting.

Derek knelt a little so they could see their new sister. Alex smiled brightly in approval at her new sister. Eli had a cautious look, Derek recognized it as his 'oh no, not another girl' look. But the slight grimace quickly faded. Eli was, despite his dread of girls, just as happy as the rest.

"Alex, Eli, this is Joan, your new sister."

After a few moments of looking at the new baby, Derek stood up and turned to the midwife, who hadn't yet left.

"Can I see her?" Derek asked, a bit of urgency leaking into his voice.

The midwife nodded. "Of course."

She held the door open as Derek, focused and yet extremely happy, rushed in.

Odette was sitting up, looking very exhausted but still glowing, still beautiful. She gave Derek a look of light chastisement for coming into the room so fast with the baby in his arms, but the look soon dropped and she was smiling at him brightly as she held out her arms for Joan.

Derek handed his newborn daughter over and sat down on the bed next to Odette. "She's beautiful… both of you are." He kissed the top of her head.

Odette looked up at him and gazed into his smiling eyes for a moment. "I love you, Derek."

They kissed again. In Odette's arms, Joan was starting to fall asleep. Upon seeing this when their lips parted, Odette and Derek were filled with a sense of pride and contentment. Here they had, their kingdom, three beautiful children, and, most importantly, each other.

Pretty soon, though, they knew Alex and Eli would be getting restless. So Odette sent Derek to get them.

Alex walked in quietly, smiling. Eli was more cautious, still not sure about having another girl in the family. They climbed into the bed and sat on either side of Odette, leaning in to get a better look at Joan.

"She's the youngest now, Eli," Odette said softly. "That means you have to help look out for her, if something ever happens." Eli nodded, quickly taking on the responsibility of the protective older brother. "But Alex," Odette went on, "You're the oldest, and I want you to promise me you'll take care of them if they ever need it, okay?"

Alex nodded too, more solemnly than Eli. Being very mature and knowing all the stories of The Forbidden Arts, she knew exactly what her mother was talking about. It sounded grim, but Alex, Derek, and Odette all knew what she was talking about.

The intense moment passed, and pretty soon, all their attention was back on Joan. Derek sat up in the bed next to Eli, who was falling asleep again.

And pretty soon, they were all asleep, totally happy, totally at peace.

But a pair of green eyes was on the outside looking in, and those eyes belonged to someone with only one thing on her mind.

Revenge.