Ali Vali

"Don’t be ridiculous," said Piper as she started laughing. It was a reflex she’d had for as long as she could remember to deal with extreme stress or tiredness. She laughed until tears were streaming down her face. "As far as this immortal thing goes, I’m the new kid on the block. I highly doubt I’m the key to any puzzle you all have been working on for years."

"Piper it’s all here in what she left us," Lenore held up the book that now held the end of the Sea Serpent’s legend.

The room still held the sights and scents of the recent battle, and it was starting to make Piper a little queasy, so she motioned for Lenore to follow her into the kitchen. "Okay tell me." She put on a kettle of water and started taking down the ingredients to make tea.

It was the last thing Piper remembered doing until after Lenore stopped talking and the whistle of the kettle finally broke through the fog. The storyteller watched as the petite woman went through the motions of making tea stopping every so often to push a stubborn strand of hair behind her ear. What the woman had left behind held ramifications for both of them and Lenore was in as much shock as Piper was.

"Lenore, that can’t be true." Piper shook her head causing the unruly lock to fall into her eyes again. "Things like that just don’t happen. I may be blonde, but I do have some idea of how the world works"

"You mean things like, some nut who was beheaded and put to sleep for hundreds of years comes back to get you, you’re saved from his attack by a friendly vampire, after which you watch a big dragon come to life in your living room? Those kinds of things?"

"Well, when you’re that literal, it doesn’t sound all that improbable but…" Piper looked up at her and her shoulders started shaking again, a sign the laughter was about to come back. "I really don’t know how in the hell to finish that sentence."

"As the old saying goes, Piper, what’s done is done."

"I can tell you that there’s one thing in there that’s wrong, so maybe the rest of it is wrong too."

"What’s wrong?" asked Kendal when she stepped into the kitchen followed by Indigo and Charlie. They were all wet and Charlie looked a little weak, but they were fine. Their swim had washed off some of the blood from the battle earlier, and to Piper, her lover never looked better. "Well?" Kendal arched a brow as she reached for Piper’s tea.

"While you were out we had another visitor." Piper immediately had to put her arms around Kendal to keep her from running to get a sharp object to protect her. "A good visitor, honey, calm down."

"Who was it?" Indigo demanded, only to have Lenore come and put her arms around her.

"Just listen to what Piper has to say," Lenore looked at both Kendal and Indigo.

"Our visitor just thought we might want to know what the end of the story was when it came to the legend of the Sea Serpent." Piper pointed to the counter where the book was sitting holding within its pages the most incredible of endings. "She left us that, but the end doesn’t gel with our reality, that’s what I was telling Lenore when you got back."

"What ending?"

Piper had to laugh and pinch Kendal’s butt. "My darling, you bring the term strong silent type to a whole new level. You are allowed, if you want, to use more than two words to phrase your questions."

After the night they had lived through the humor was welcome and it made Kendal’s heart swell for the woman who held her so close. Not caring if they had an audience or not, she lowered her head and kissed Piper for a very long and sweet moment. Kendal tried to pour all her feelings for the blonde into that one simple loving act hoping it would help heal whatever nightmares the night had caused.

"This isn’t a question," started Kendal as she pressed their lips together again. "And it has more than two words," she kissed her again. "I love you, Piper, and I don’t ever want you to change."

The others looked on at the bond of love that was so visible the two almost glowed and couldn’t help but smile. Piper stood there with her eyes closed as if enjoying the words Kendal had uttered. "Is it any wonder she always gets the girl," she teased when she finally looked back to the onlookers.

"I believe she asked you something about an ending," Indigo encouraged.

"It says if the sword did its job so to speak, the markings of the two chosen ones would remain, which they have, but they’re in the wrong spot."

"Wrong spot?" asked Kendal, receiving another pinch for her trouble.

"Well according to the book mine isn’t supposed to be over my heart, yours is, but we both know where yours is." The white shirt Kendal was wearing was still damp letting the skin show even through the remnants of the bloodstains. "Yours is…" her voice faded as she looked to Kendal’s chest, to the spot over her heart.

Slowly, as if the image would disappear, Piper brought her hands up and put them on her lover’s shirt. In one rapid movement she ripped the garment open sending buttons flying all over the room. Standing there with her naked chest exposed made Kendal think of the last time Piper had done this out on the porch while a sheriff’s deputy looked on.

"Piper, honey, we can go upstairs if you want," Kendal tried to turn a little so the other three people in the room didn’t have such a good view.

"Look." The dark head turned and looked at Piper in confusion. "Look," Piper repeated, her eyes never leaving Kendal’s chest.

"What the…" Kendal looked where Piper had directed and there was the dragon tattoo, but the drawing had changed. The creature still looked ready for battle, but now it held the sword in one claw and the orb from Piper’s in the other. "What does this mean?"

"It means…" Piper started as she started unbuttoning her jeans.

"There is no way in hell you’re taking your pants off down here." With that Kendal picked her up and headed upstairs to their room. They left most of their audience wondering what was going on, and only Lenore was left smiling.

A few minutes later they all heard Kendal’s voice as it cut through the early morning. "What?" The question almost made Lenore fall over laughing wondering what one word of wisdom Indigo would come up with when confronted by the truth.

************************************************************************

Kendal stopped talking for a minute to take a sip of wine from the glass in front of her. She and Mac had been sitting outside under the tree where she and Piper had shared a very special night not too long before, talking about all the things he wanted to know. She wished that just once someone would just take the story at face value, and not demand a demonstration that she was in fact a person who would live forever. At least this time it only took nailing her hand to the table with the cheese knife with a nice noon sun overhead to get him to believe.

She had hit the highlights of a very long existence, a story that ended with what Piper now meant to her life. The reality that his granddaughter would live forever both thrilled and terrified him, but it was the very last story he was interested in, wanting to understand what had happened to them on Halloween night.

"So what is the legend of the Sea Serpent?"

Another bottle was uncorked bringing the total to four that Kendal had consumed almost alone. If Mac had tried to keep up with her, the afternoon would have ended long before. "Ah, ready for the wrap up, huh?"

"I’m thinking as fascinating as your life has been, Asra, the ending is the best part." He held his glass out and laughed when she only poured him a little.

"Once upon a time there lived two lovers." She laughed when he scowled. "Well there were according to this story. When we first read it though we thought it was something along the lines of Romeo and Juliet."

"Only it wasn’t." Mac popped a grape into his mouth and relaxed further into the cushion of the chaise lounge he was using.

"Only if the play had been renamed Juliet and her really good friend Sally," teased Kendal. "As open-minded as the Greeks were, one of the girls came from an influential family and they weren’t about to let her spend the rest of her days with the daughter of a farmer whose father was in a blood feud with the other girl’s father. So they improvised a bit and ran off together hoping to find a better life somewhere, not in another part of Greece, but in the future."

In the distance she could see Molly and Piper slowly walking toward them making Kendal realize how much she’d missed the blonde even just being away from her for the afternoon. "They found a cave by the sea and did what lovers do in romantic settings when given the opportunity. Only after sharing such a beautiful act, they offered their lives to Aphrodite."

"The goddess is real?"

"My life is living proof that she is real, Mac."

"No wonder Piper can’t spend five minutes without planting a big one on you."

A blush worked its way up Kendal’s neck and she waggled a finger at him. "The goddess was touched by their sacrifice and vowed to make them whole again in a time and place where they would be free to love each other without prejudice and with a family who would support their choices. Until that time she took the crest of the rich family and created a mythical creature born of both their spirits – the Sea Serpent. It lived in the waters close to where the girls died and was given the gift of immortality by Aphrodite. To set them free she needed a key, so she had her husband, the god of the forge, make a sword. In it, she locked away the love both women felt for each other."

"It was the one I saw you with in England wasn’t it?"

"Yes it was."

"How did you come to get it?"

She looked at him, her mind flying back to a night in a tent with a woman who had made her flesh sing, and she blushed again. Kendal doubted many people, immortal or no, were blessed enough to spend an intimate night with the goddess of love, and from what she had read in the book, that’s exactly who her visitor had been that night.

"It was a gift, but that’s not important to the story. When it was given to me it was the key but it wouldn’t awaken for years to come, and then, only after I found the other half of my soul. When I did, the sword marked me as its true owner and Piper as my mate as it were. On Halloween night, at the stroke of midnight the sword and the markings were able to break free at the precise time that the world has no barriers against such things and they fulfilled the goddess’ vow to the lovers."

She stood and went to help Piper walk the rest of the way, holding her hand as she took Kendal’s place under the tree. "Thank you, love," said the blonde as she looked up at her warrior.

"How are feeling?" asked Kendal.

"The same way I did the last time you asked me that, which I believe was less than four hours ago," it wasn’t a reprimand, just a gentle teasing those around them had come to expect from the young couple. Molly and Mac smiled as Piper reached up and pinched Kendal’s cheek for the tall woman’s worry. "Are you two done yet?"

"We just got to the part about some markings and Aphrodite fulfilling her vow," Mac informed her.

"This was just an excuse to sit out here and drink wine wasn’t it?" Piper’s question was directed at Kendal who had the decency to blush. "Did the harvest put you in the mood to be long winded?"

"Forgive me, I’m not as talented a storyteller as you or Lenore for that matter, and your grandfather asks lots of questions."

"It doesn’t matter, just finish," said Mac trying to sound menacing.

"On that night, the part of the dragon that had marked me came to life looking for the other part of its spirit. It found it in the marking Piper had over her heart. One had fire and the other passion, enough of each to create life." Kendal started the end of the story as she placed her hand over Piper’s lower abdomen. "The orb the one held in its claw was the container for the soul of a young woman who lived long ago and died with her lover by the sea. The love she held was strong enough to spilt the orb into two separate vessels so they could live again with the chance to love once more."

"From your fire as a warrior," added Piper.

"And your passion as a woman who believes in the power of love, came the seed that now grows within you," finished Kendal. A strong kick against her side was the baby’s way of agreeing with its mothers. "It was Aphrodite who put us all together that night so the rest of Bruik’s prophecy could come to light."

"I thought his prophecy was only about Piper?" asked Molly.

"It was, but there was another scroll Rolla had kept hidden not believing it would ever come to pass. The Elders’ seer knew Piper was the missing part of the puzzle but to make the prophecy work we needed Indigo and Lenore as well. From one strong spirit came two souls and we needed another set of true hearts to bring the other to life."

"So you carry one…" started Mac.

"And Lenore the other. I guess they’ll have the choice to love whomever they choose to, but with us they will have the freedom to become the women or men they want to because they will be raised with love and respect." Kendal received a kiss for her words from a very pregnant Piper.

The reality of having a family had never been something Kendal ever concerned herself with knowing it was something not within her reach. When Piper told her otherwise almost nine months ago, it was the closest she had ever come to passing out from the shock. Inside the woman she loved grew a seed they had both planted. True it would forever hold the essence of two people who had once loved each other centuries before, but they would also be graced with a little of both Piper and Kendal.

From there, neither of them knew what the future held for the two miracles who would soon join them. What the two expectant mothers and the Duponts did know was, there were two warriors who were about to rattle apart from worry over their mates. No two women had been so coddled during their pregnancies as Piper and Lenore.

"So, Mac, you get your wish after all," said Kendal.

"What wish is that?"

"Soon there will be a little Dupont-Mackey running around Dupont Shipping guaranteeing the business will survive for another generation."

They finished their talk and headed back to the house to join the others for dinner. Soon most of the places Kendal owned around the world would finish all the new construction she had ordered. On each property a new home, each with a sprawling library and sword room, was added so Indigo and Lenore would feel at home with their new family, allowing the children to spend time together.

The Elders had met again and decided the fate of Bailey, Travis had been taken out of their hands by Asra. She assured them his remains would never be found, nor would she record how to find them. Rolla excused her defiance since it was his lax judgement that had allowed someone like Travis to join their ranks in the first place. For Bailey, he was placed whole in the crypt where Julius’ body had lain for so many years. With luck, it wouldn’t be over a thousand years before Rolla ordered his release.

At the conclusion of their meeting, Asra was given the status of Elder and given more rooms in the main compound in Egypt. The others accepted Piper for who she now was in Asra’s life and who she would eventually become to them. She hadn’t made the trip with Kendal, but had been thrilled when the seer Bruik had come back with the tall warrior for a brief visit. Bruik had always been a bit of a recluse but had found himself enjoying the afternoon walks he had taken with Piper, and vowed to come back as soon as she was ready to continue with her training.

One thing Rolla and the others had insisted on, was leaving a healer with them. Two pregnancies that had resulted from the power released from a sword, added to the fact that they were two immortal women would be hard to explain to a doctor in a normal setting. The young woman who saw to their needs had been trained by some of the best medical minds tried not to bother them too much, and had moved into one of the guestrooms to wait for the big day.

"Coming?" asked Piper as she stood at the base of the stairs.

"In a minute, love, I just remembered I left that book about the sword and the Sea Serpent legend out by the tree. If something happens to it Lenore might have me drawn and quartered or something equally bad."

"Hurry back." Piper started up the stairs to their room. It wasn’t that she needed the rest, so far the pregnancy had been great and her energy level had remained the same. She just liked to spend time with Kendal pressed skin to skin as they marveled at how her body had changed and why. The fact that the baby was a little of each of them overwhelmed her at times.

It was completely dark by the time Kendal made it to the tree. The staff had left the book she was looking for on one of the chaises; the evidence of her picnic with Mac had been cleared away. She didn’t see the woman until she bent to retrieve the leather-covered volume that had come to mean the world to Lenore as well as Piper.

"Tell me, warrior, how are you handling life lately?" She stretched out and looked up at the very attractive woman standing frozen in front of her.

That the voluptuous figure hadn’t changed much, and the voice still had the ability to wrap around her like a velvet glove, were the first two things that came to Kendal’s mind. Aside from Piper, there had been only a handful of women who had been able to affect her like this stranger she had spent a night with. It was a night that, before Piper had come into her life, Kendal thought of often.

"It was incredible, I would have to agree," said the woman as if Kendal had spoken her thoughts out loud. "But now you have the woman who will cater to your every want just like you will to hers, do you not?"

"I do, and I wonder if I have you to thank for that as well," answered Kendal before lowering her head. "Goddess."

Aphrodite clapped her hands together and laughed. "I’m happy you’re so perceptive. See, I told your partner I chose well. Smart as well as strong and incredibly sexy. A heady combination if I do say so myself."

"Thank you for the compliment, and I’m glad you came back so I could also thank you for all that you did for us."

"Actually I came back to answer all those question you have rolling around in here," the goddess tapped the side of Kendal’s head with a perfectly manicured nail. "It’s a shame you can’t sleep. You could use some down time every so often from all this thinking. It’s making me tired and all I’m doing is listening."

"It’s the soldier in me."

"Then allow me to help put your mind at ease. The baby you will help Piper bring into this world will be your own. True it was my promise to the lovers who gave me so much to allow them another opportunity at a life together, but I feel they would be better off starting fresh without the burdens of their pasts. The same is true of Lenore and Indigo’s child."

Kendal let out a long breath of relief. Not that she minded what the sword had given them but raising someone who had their own mindset from birth was a little much to think about. Before she could say or ask anything else, the beauty before her changed form to become the old woman who Kendal had met in the woods after her visit with the Roman general.

"Sometimes someone who comes bearing gifts is just that. There aren’t always ulterior motives or strings attached; they are just someone giving you something to make you happy. Learn to listen to your heart, Asra, for it has served you well up to now." Again Aphrodite changed to another woman Kendal had known from a distant past. "I have been with you always to make sure the hope in here never fully died away with the horrors you have faced." She tapped gently over Kendal’s heart.

"Thank you. I never realized."

"No, my lovely warrior, thank you. You gave me your heart, because as I told you before, you were always true and pure when it came to the things you wanted. Someone so kind hearted deserves my rewards and all the gifts I can bestow on you."

Kendal looked down as the goddess unfastened enough buttons to see the tattoo that still graced the skin over her heart. The dragon now holding the sword and the orb had become Piper’s favorite place to run her fingers along when they were alone.

"You have given me, as well as my sisters the depth of your love, the virtue of your wisdom and the infinite strength of your courage," the hand that pressed over her heart felt warm. "We in turn have given you the will to continue the fight," a finger traced over the claw that held the sword. "And the reason to do so," Aphrodite moved to the claw that held the orb. "The markings changed so you would always remember it’s your heart that makes you who you are, Asra. A heart that now belongs, as much to the woman who owns it and the child who will soon lay its own claim. And through it all you will have my sisters and me to look over you."

"I thank you again, goddess." Kendal covered the hand on her chest with her own, pulling it away and kissing the palm with as much tenderness as she could show.

"So, little one, are you happy as well?" Aphrodite smiled at the woman she saw come into view over Kendal’s shoulder.

"Had you undone one more button I’d be thinking of ways to kill you, but I’m happy for the most part," teased Piper, her hand on the small of her back helping her to support the growing weight she was privileged to lug around all day. Unlike Kendal, Aphrodite had come to her more than once when she practiced expanding her sight for visions and they had formed a relationship of sorts.

"I just wanted to come for one more visit before the blessed event." The goddess moved away from Kendal so she could place her hands over the active child. She laughed at the healthy kicks that followed as soon as her hands had settled. "I believe this one will act much like that one," she pointed to Kendal in warning. "And that one I’ve watched for a long time. Are you sure you could handle two of them?"

"I can handle anything as long as she loves me." Piper sounded like a woman at peace as she felt her lover’s hands cover her shoulders.

"Good," Aphrodite then placed her hands on Piper’s head. "Enjoy the calm of what is coming, for the war will begin again soon enough. For those who dare to live life to the fullest are those who have the most to lose."

"But also the ones with the most to gain." The language they used was the language of the gods and one Kendal still didn’t understand so she stood behind Piper and waited for the exchange to end.

"True, but know that my protection over you will be eternal. All you need do is call my name if you have need of me."

"I appreciate that, and I really do thank you for this gift." Piper put her hands over her midsection and smiled.

"Take care of her, warrior," drifted to them in the wind when the goddess had disappeared.

"I’ll take care of you all right," she pulled Piper back to her chest and put her hands over Piper’s where they rested on their child. "I’ll take care of you both." After she kissed the side of Piper’s head she guided them back to the house. "Anything I should be worried about?" Kendal asked referring to the part of the talk she was left out of.

"Eventually, but for now I’m going to enjoy you and the life we have together. The rest will just have to wait until I’ve had my fill." She leaned heavily into Kendal knowing her tall lover liked when she could almost carry Piper to save her the discomfort.

"I’m hoping that will be a long time from now."

"Exactly," answered Piper just before her water broke.

************************************************************************

Far from where they were standing, an earthquake rocked the deserts of Egypt bringing closer to the surface something that had long been buried and forgotten. The wall that held the protection spells that kept the tomb sealed suffered a small crack when the ground around it shook, starting to destroy what ancient priests had worked so hard to create. When the crack reached the ground the spell would be broken along with the locks, which kept the place sealed.

Very few knew what was buried there, much less the danger it contained. One who did though held up a new baby to the heavens with tears in her eyes for the happiness she felt. But as in all the battles she would face in the future, the blonde smiling up at her through her own tears would get her through.

This fact made certain their story would continue.

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