Legacy stood slowly, glaring at Janus and nowhere near satisfied with that conclusion. He ran after the man, then lunged at him. Janus sidestepped the attack, having heard the noisy Guardian’s hooves. “Give her back, you son of a bitch!” he yelled as he regained his footing and turned back toward Janus.

“I am getting very irritated with you, boy,” Janus growled.

“I want her back,” he repeated.

“You can ‘have’ her if she chooses to be with you. Truth be told, if you would have waited a few more hours, she would have contacted you to explain. She came here by her own free will and she can leave with such, as long as her health isn’t at risk,” Janus again explained.

“And it won’t be at risk if she comes with me.”

Janus sighed, aggravated. “Legacy, we just went through this. She’s what, four, five months pregnant? Do you have any idea just how critical is it for her not to have to worry where the hell her mate is?”

“She won’t worry.”

“Can you honestly say that, Legacy?” Janus began to walk away from the Guardian again. “Now, I suggest you leave before I have you removed.”

“That bastard,” Legacy growled as the door closed behind Janus. “I’ll get her back. She’s too important to us to just– lose her to some damn slaver.” He turned and quickly left the grounds. He passed the same guard as he had encountered earlier.

“Aren’t you forgetting something?” the guard called out.

Legacy stopped and turned around. “What?”

The guard point to the from of the estate. Nytehawk was carefully, yet quickly, making her way down the stairs. “Unless you don’t want her,” he grinned, licking his lupine lips.

“I don’t think so, Adian,” the Delphin female said as she trotted toward them. “So, you’re my cousin’s mate.” Legacy nodded in reply. “Tell Hunter that I would have come back, but I want to stay here and help Snowhawk.”

Legacy was surprised. “Are you sure about that?”

“Yes,” she nodded. “Snowhawk is sicker than she’ll let on.”

Legacy bowed to her. “Please, take care of her.”

“I will,” she replied, bowing her head in return. “And you take care of yourself, Guardian.”

Legacy nodded, then turned as Nytehawk walked back to house. He caught sight of the Lupino guard following her, then heard a loud yelp of pain. Legacy smirked slightly, then walked back to Nytehawk and Hunter’s home.

*********

Back inside the estate, Janus found Snowhawk asleep on a couch in a den. He shook his head and chuckled, then walked to her and kneeled next to the couch. “I guess you never made it to the kitchen,” he said as he stroked her face.

He sat in silence with her for several minutes, watching her sleep, until Adian limped into the room. “The Guardian has left, Janus,” he stated, then winced painfully.

“Good,” Janus began, seemingly ignoring the other’s discomfort. “Maybe he’ll wise up and stay away until she’s better.”

“What are you planning on doing with her cousin?” he grinned.

“I still plan on letting her go and you will do the same.”

Adian pouted. “You never let me have any fun.”

“You need to learn to grow up, brother,” Janus replied, shooting a glance to the other. “You’ll have more fun when you do.”

“I’d rather play with her while she’s here,” he said, another devious grin forming on his face. “She’s feisty.”

“Based on the fact you were limping, I figured you had already learned your lesson. Apparently, I was wrong.” Janus sighed as his brother’s face revealed he was thinking something over. “Adian, go distract yourself with some other female.”

“But I like that one. None of the other girls left around here are as interesting.”

“Adian,” Janus began, irritated, “don’t bother her. And go, now.”

“I am, brother,” he smirked. “I’ll leave you to have ‘fun’ with your little pet.”

“Watch what you say, Adian,” Janus growled as his brother left the room.

“Your brother,” Snowhawk quietly began as the door shut, “is a lot of talk.”

Janus nodded. “He is, but he’s still dangerous.” He smiled at her and gently stroked her arm. “I assume you never made it to the kitchen.”

She shook her head, then stretched a bit. “No, I didn’t.”

He was quiet for a moment, still rubbing her arm, then said, “You know I understood what you and Legacy were saying, don’t you?”

“I know. Legacy didn’t.”

“You can’t keep protecting him, Snowhawk,” Janus stated. “And he can’t keep hurting you.”

Snowhawk nodded slowly. “He never means to, Janus. He just–”

“He doesn’t think,” Janus finished. “Not with his head anyway.”

“I’m sure you’re hoping I’ll leave him for you,” she mentioned.

“While that would make me very happy,” he began, “I want you happy first. And I can’t see you happy forever with him. This is the very reason that Guardians and their charges are not supposed to get involved. He has a duty to protect you, and while you may be weak now, you really didn’t need to be protected before this,” he said, gently stroking her slightly rounded belly. “I think it’s now that he’s realizing he neglected his duty. I know the Guardian may love you, but–”

“But there are many kinds of love,” she finished.

Janus nodded. “Yes. You know, I watched you for all those months you were gone. I didn’t watch as closely after he came into the picture, but I was still there. And when I realized you weren’t happy because he kept leaving you alone, I decided to step in. I wouldn’t have done anything if he hadn’t done that.”

“It’s difficult to do anything now. The ties I have to you both are very strong,” she stated quietly.

“I know, dear,” he replied.

“It shouldn’t be like this,” she stated a moment later. “I’m going to hurt one of you no matter what I do.”

“But you have to chose, Snowhawk. Not now, not while you’re like this, but you will. Like I said, I just want you happy, whether that’s with Legacy or me or even some completely different being. I just want you to go with what you know is right.”

She smiled softly at him. “You were always too kind to me.”

“Never too kind, dear,” he replied, returning her smile.

*********

“She stayed?!” Hunter exclaimed when he heard the news from Legacy. He couldn’t believe that his mate would do something like his. He left the room, continuing to voice his disbelief.

“Why?” Jerome queried as the two Guardians sat down on a couch.

“She wanted to take care of Snowhawk,” Legacy replied.

“What’s wrong with Snowhawk?”

“Apparently, her pregnancy is affecting her health pretty severely,” he replied, sighing and leaning back.

Jerome blinked, a little confused as to how Snowhawk’s condition could have deteriorated so quickly. “How was her condition when she left the other night?”

“She was a little tired,” Legacy began. “It didn’t seem too bad. Granted, she had been sleeping a lot.”

“But is that normal?” Jerome questioned.

Legacy nodded. “Yes, that’s fairly normal for her.”

“Were there any changes in her mood?” Jerome asked.

“Jerome, she’s pregnant. Of course her mood changed.”

“What about your activities?”

Legacy paused at this. He thought for a moment, then seemed to hesitate as he answered. “No changes.”

Jerome nodded a little, unbelieving of his answer. “Right.” The younger Guardian sighed and looked up at the ceiling. “We’ll get her back, Legacy.”

“That won’t keep me from worrying, Jerome,” he quietly responded.

“Why don’t you stay here for a while?” Jerome suggested. “It might help you and Hunter both if you can discuss your feelings.”

Legacy looked at Jerome, then gave a silent nod in reply.

*********

Nytehawk slowly trotted down the hall toward her cousin’s room, intent on visiting her as she usually did. She sighed as she walked, worried about Snowhawk. “Five months in,” she began, talking only to herself, “and she should not be this bad off.” She stopped at the door of her cousin’s room to listen for anyone else that may be inside. She didn’t hear anyone and opened the door slowly.

She found the human Snowhawk inside, asleep, being cuddled by Janus. The man was gently stroking her hair, trying to help her sleep peacefully. He looked up at her, then bowed his head in greeting. “You’re almost late...”

“No later than usual,” she replied, then paused for a moment. “You look like shit.”

Janus smirked at the comment. “Worry as much as I do and it happens.”

“You shouldn’t,” she began. “She’s been through this before.”

“Not exactly,” he countered. “She hasn’t had to deal with an absentee, idiot mate.”

“So, I assume that’s why you made sure she was here. To take Legacy out of the picture for the last five months. That’s a pretty convoluted plan, even for you,” she commented, crossing her arms.

“Convoluted or not, though it wasn't my plan to find her pregnant, even you have to admit she’s safe here,” he calmly replied.

“She may be safe,” Nytehawk began, “but she needs to be with her mate.”

Janus raised an eyebrow at this. “So he can hurt her again? So he can leave her alone at night? Sorry, Nytehawk, I don’t agree. The stress that would be added to her by worrying about him is many times worse than anything that might come from being here. You know that as well as I do.”

Nytehawk looked away, aggravated but unable to argue the point. “You make it so damn justified. Every time.”

“I won’t leave anything to chance. If I knew she would be happier out there with him, I wouldn’t have done this and we wouldn’t be having this conversation. I just want her happy, and if that means she’s with me, then that’s all the better.”

Nytehawk glared at him for a moment. “I want to speak with my cousin. Alone.”

“When she wakes up,” Janus evenly replied.

“Then I’ll wait here,” she stated, flicking her tail and walking to a chair next to the bed. “I can watch her for a few hours while you rest.”

Janus was a little startled as she was unusually hospitable. “That’s a little out of character for you.”

“I want her happy as much as you,” she snipped. “If you keeled over from exhaustion, then she won’t be very happy, will she?”

“Point taken.” Janus eased his way out of the bed, taking care not to wake Snowhawk. “Thank you, Nytehawk.”

“Don’t thank me yet,” she said, glaring. “I’ll have someone come get you if she needs you.”

Janus nodded and bowed to her, then walked out of the room, closing the door behind him.