Original Stories Fan Fiction ❯ The Last Bearers ❯ Chapter 10 ( Chapter 10 )

Identity

The years started passing by quickly. Every chance we could, Hayden and I had another child. It was a cycle. Have a child, watch them grow up, pair them with someone, either a male or a female, and build a house for them. By the time Hayden and I were in our late forties, we already had great-grandchildren. It was incredible.

…

Chapter 10

Daire immediately knew something was wrong when Caelyn walked into the classroom after lunch. Daire had always been sensitive, but with his pregnancy, he had become even more sensitive. It wasn't just the fact that Caelyn had skipped their morning lessons completely as well as lunch. Daire knew there was something else, something deeper that was causing Caelyn's distress. His brows knitted into a frown as Caelyn crossed the room and took his usual place next to him. He wanted to ask Caelyn what was wrong, but didn't.

“Are you feeling better Caelyn?” he asked instead.

“Yes,” Caelyn answered with a forced smile. “I took a nap and then after I got up, I took a hot shower.”

“Are you hungry?” Daire asked. “You missed lunch after all.”

“No.” Caelyn shook his head.

Mr. Brennen entered and began the lesson. Daire tried to pay attention, but he couldn't help glancing at not just Caelyn, but Aidan as well. The latter was silent, something Daire had never seen before. Aidan's lips were pressed together tightly and Daire had the feeling that he had his teeth clenched. He seemed…angry about something. Very angry. Caelyn on the other hand, seemed to be on the verge of tears. He kept his head bent low so his face was obscured, but Daire could sense his distress. He wished he could do something, but he was in the middle of lessons. He couldn't just walk away.

Daire turned his head back to the front and tried to concentrate on what Mr. Brennen was saying. He talked about first heat, a review for the Bearers who had already experienced it and a lecture for the new Bearers. At the break, Daire went up to talk to Mr. Brennen as usual.

“My, Daire,” Mr. Brennen said with a smile as Daire approached. “You're getting very large.”

Daire flushed and put a hand on his abdomen reflexively. “Yes. I have little over a month remaining.”

“You look well.”

“Thank you.” Daire flushed even more.

“Have you thought of any names?” Mr. Brennen asked. Daire looked at him curiously. “Ah, that's right. We haven't told you yet. You get the honor of naming the baby. You and your mate, that is. If you need help, I can give you a booklet of name ideas. Would you like that?”

“Yeah,” Daire answered with a smile.

“You're expecting a boy, correct?” Mr. Brennen asked while he started leafing through his desk for something.

“Yes, that's correct, Daire whispered, his hand resting on his belly.

He could feel his son kicking. He was so strong, it seemed. He couldn't wait to see what his son looked like. He wondered who he'd resemble more: Aleksei or him. He would know soon enough.

“Aha!” Mr. Brennen said triumphantly, straightening up and holding up a booklet. “Here we are. This is a complete list of baby names, both male and female, that The Institute has created. Obviously you don't need the female names, but take a look at the male names. Perhaps you'll find a name you like.”

“Thank you,” Daire murmured.

He had a feeling that Aleksei didn't give a damn about what they called their son so it was up to him to pick out a suitable name.

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In the blink of an eye, the last month of Daire's pregnancy fell away. Now it was only days before the baby was due and everyone at The Institute was getting excited. Even the Breeders were mildly curious about it; there hadn't been a birth at The Institute for a very long time. The only one who wasn't excited or interested at all was Aleksei, but Daire had other things to worry about, such as Caelyn. He was still not feeling well, and it only seemed to be getting worse. He missed several lessons and stayed in bed with flu-like symptoms. Daire, however, could sense that it was not just the flu that was making Caelyn ill. Caelyn was incredibly stressed for some reason, although he would not say why. Aidan said that his heat was coming up and he was always anxious around that time. But it never came, causing Caelyn to be even more anxious.

“I'm pregnant,” he said, pacing around the dormitories during dinner one night. He was skipping dinner because the smell of the food was starting to make him nauseous, and Aidan and Daire were skipping along with him. “I have to be. Unless Fate is playing a sick joke on me.”

He paced even more. Daire watched his movements, getting more and more upset with each round Caelyn made.

“Cae, it's gonna be all right,” Aidan said soothingly. “You'll see. You heat is gonna come any day now and everything will be fine.”

“You don't know that for sure!” Caelyn said desperately.

“Cae…s…sit down. Please. You're making Daire cry.” Aidan gestured toward Daire, who was fighting back tears.

Caelyn stopped pacing at once and went to sit next to Daire on the blond's bed.

“Daire sweetie please don't cry,” he murmured, wrapping his arm around Daire.

“I don't like seeing you like this. I don't like seeing you upset.” Daire sniffed softly.

“I know hon. I don't like it either. Aidan is right. Everything is going to be all right.” Caelyn wrapped his arms around Daire for a warm hug.

Aidan sat on Daire's other side and wrapped his arm around Daire as well. The three of them sat like that until the other Bearers returned from dinner.

Three days later, Daire found himself accompanying Caelyn and Aidan to the medical facility so Caelyn could be seen by a doctor. Aidan and Daire politely waited out in the Waiting Room while the doctor examined Caelyn privately. An hour passed. Daire looked over at Aidan. The brown-haired boy was positively pale. Daire reached out and placed a hand on top of Aidan's. Aidan turned toward him and Daire was surprised to see tears in his eyes.

“Aidan…?” he asked.

“There is a chance…that I might have gotten Caelyn pregnant,” Aidan whispered.

Daire's eyes widened. “What? H…how?”

“You know the day Caelyn wasn't feeling good, when he said he took a nap and then a shower?” Daire nodded. “That day…he and I had sex in the shower. I was in the bathroom already because I had had my heat and he came in and…I couldn't control my feelings for him any longer! I knew that my feelings were starting to change and that I desired him above all else, but in that moment, I…I couldn't control myself. He was in heat, I'm pretty sure of it, and I just wanted to…to take him and he consented so we had sex in the shower.

“Oh Aidan,” Daire whispered. “Why? Why did you take Caelyn even though he wasn't yours to take? Why did you break the most sacred rule? What happen if John finds out! You could be killed! Both of you!”

Aidan's head snapped up and he stared at Daire. The young Bearer's face was anxious, not at all disgusted. Daire smiled at Aidan's astonished look.

“I'm here for you,” he murmured, gently squeezing Aidan's hand. “You and Caelyn are my brothers. I would never turn against you for any reason. You may have broken one of The Institute's most sacred rules and you may have broken your promise to you mate to always love him, cherish him, and protect him, but you love Caelyn. I can sense it. And…I can sense that he loves you too.”

Daire was trembling as he went on, “Ian loves you because it's his duty, but you love Caelyn because you can.”

“Thank you Daire,” Aidan breathed.

The door beside the receptionist's desk opened and Caelyn came out, a dazed expression on his face. Daire and Aidan rose and rushed over to him.

“Cae?' Aidan asked, his pulse rising.

Caelyn was blinking back tears. “I'm pregnant.”

Daire and Aidan stared at him soundlessly for a long time.

“Oh my god,” Aidan whispered.

“The doctor says that I'm two months along but…” Caelyn uneasily glanced around the room.

“It's okay Caelyn,” Daire said softly. “Aidan told me what happened between the two of you.”

“He told you?!” Caelyn looked alarmed.

“Come on. We need to go somewhere more private to talk,” Daire said in a low voice.

Caelyn and Aidan followed him down the hallways until they came to a classroom not currently in use. The threw of them sat on the tops of the desks.

“Yes, Aidan told me what happened,” Daire started out, “but I am not going to say anything ot anyone. You are my brothers. I'd never betray you.”

“Oh Daire,” Caelyn whispered, tears forming in his eyes.

“So you're sure it's mine?” Aidan croaked. “I mean, you could have already been pregnant before I had sex with you.”

“No.” Caelyn shook his head. “I'm certain it's yours. I didn't start experiencing the symptoms until after I was with you. I would have known if I was already pregnant. I know I was having my heat when we had sex. I just know!” Caelyn's voice rose slightly.

“All right. So what are we going to do?” Aidan asked.

“I don't know!” Caelyn buried his face in his hands. “How am I going to tell Halen? Oh god!” He started sobbing softly.

Daire gently put his hand on Caelyn's back as the dark haired boy had done so many times for him.

“You tell Halen it's his,” Aidan suddenly said. Caelyn looked up at him, tears streaming down his face. “The doctor thinks you're two months pregnant, right? Let everyone assume that it is Halen's child. And when it's born a month late…well that can happen.”

“Okay.” Caelyn nodded. “I don't want to lie to my mate, but I guess I have no choice, do I?”

“It's for the best,” Aidan said softly. “Halen would kill you if he were to find out the truth.”

“I know!” Caelyn said desperately. He rose unsteadily. “I…I have to go and tell Halen the news.”

“Do you want us to come with you?” Aidan asked. “You know, for moral support.”

“Yes.” Caelyn smiled. “I don't think I can do this alone.”

“It's settled then!” Aidan said enthusiastically.

Aidan went out first. Daire gently touched Caelyn on the shoulder. Caelyn turned.

“This baby is a blessing,” Daire said softly. “It's proof that you and Aidan were meant to be together. Don't forget that, all right?”

Caelyn smiled at his friend. “I won't. Thank you.”

He and Daire joined Aidan in the hallway and headed for the dormitory of the Breeders.

To be continued…

Notes: I'm sorry this chapter is really short. I felt like this was a good place to cut it off. The next chapter will be epic, that's for sure. A couple notes for this chapter:

Just so it's clear, it is possible for Bearers to bear a child together, however, this isn't done because there aren't many Bearers left in the world and all of them are needed to reproduce. They reproduce because there aren't many Bearers left in the world and the ability to bear is genetic. Only a Bearer can produce another Bearer. Does that make sense? The Bearers are actually technically hermaphrodites because they have both sets of reproductive organs so that's why they can have children with each other. But because of the low population of Bearers, they're paired off with the Breeders so each Bearer can have children and hope that they create a Bearer in the process. I'm sorry if I'm confusing anyone.

Heh, a lot of people saw the scene with Aidan and Caelyn coming. Guess my readers know my characters better than I do. Anyone know what should happen next? Just kidding. :D

A bunch of people had the feeling that Caelyn was going to get pregnant. I tried SO hard to keep it a secret so I wouldn't ruin the surprise when responding to the reviews.

And one final thing, I have a deviant art account now so you can view my artwork there and hopefully it won't get taken down.