Raven Savage.....

“No,” Angeline got up, wincing though her wound was already healing. “I need you to do something else. Take the kids down to the basement. Julian compelled some people to dig a tunnel as soon as we got here in case something like this happened. We can’t go because I realize now that they will never stop hunting us down until they kill us. It’s not a very long tunnel, you should be able to come out just a short way into the woods but it will give you precious time to escape and get as far away from here as possible.”

“No,” Athena shook her head. “I will not leave you again Angie, I won’t aban…..”

“Listen to me Athena,” she grabbed her sister’s shoulders. “We are not going to survive this, we never were.” She looked at Julian and he nodded. “We are doomed and we accept that fate but they are innocent,” she said, choking on the last word as she tried not to break down in tears. “They’ve done nothing wrong Athena and they can’t have their lives taken away before they even have a chance to live them. I know you will take good care of them, you were always more maternal than me. Please just do this one last thing for me.”

While she’d been talking, Julian had been filling a baby’s bag with all the necessities Athena would require. “We’ll try to buy you as much time as possible. Here’s some money and credit cards. There’s enough in the account for you to start over and build a new life for yourselves.”

Angeline took over as Julian walked out again. “I know this is a big thing to ask of you. You had huge hopes for you and Nate and once again, I’m selfishly destroying your life.”

Athena shook her head, her eyes bloodshot from crying too much. “You know I would do anything for you Angie, and if this is what you truly want then I won’t disappoint you.”

Julian appeared from nowhere. “Frederik is getting ready for another attack,” he announced. “Its now or never Athena.”

The two women nodded at each other. Athena hugged her sister tightly, knowing that this time, goodbye would be forever. They quickly guided her down to the basement, and into the tunnel, Athena noticing the tanks of inflammable gas as they bade her farewell.

Left alone, Julian and Angeline looked at each other. “I love you.” Julian said.

“I love you more,” Angeline replied. He kissed her long and hard then set about releasing the gas from the tanks. A thud on the basement door announced Frederik’s return. Julian got up and held Angeline in one arm, the other holding a lighter behind his back. The thudding grew louder as Frederik tried to break the door down. With one last mighty bang, the wood splintered apart and there stood the huge werewolf, his bright yellow eyes taking careful appraisal of his prey. He sniffed the air, realizing too late what he smelt as Julian brought up the lighter and lit it.

Athena felt the ground shake when she lifted the heavy trap door leading to the outside of the tunnel. She popped her head out and looked back in time to see the cabin she’d just left explode into flames, her sister and Julian along with it. She hoped that they had at least taken some of the others with them, especially the vampires. She laid the babies down on the grass, amazed that they were still sound asleep. Her heart ached as she realized how much she had lost. But she had made a promise to her sister and she was determined to keep it. She got up and took the babies. It was time to start over.

***

Raven Savage, 1996

“Mr. Petersen?”

The man standing by the window in the hospital waiting room turned as his name was called. He saw an astounding beautiful woman clad in an impeccable brown suit walking towards him. Not even her awkward heavy looking rimmed glasses could hide her well chiseled face and high cheekbones. She walked with an air of strong confidence around her, almost superiority. She flashed him a dazzling white smile as she approached him, though her eyes held a certain sadness to them.

 

 

“Mr. Petersen?” She asked again. “I’m Dr. Tabitha Savage. Your wife’s regular doctor isn’t available at the moment as he’s off on vacation so I will be taking over from him for now.”

 

“Nice to meet you,” Petersen said, noticing she had quite a firm handshake. “How is my wife doing?”

 

Her smile immediately vanished, her fingers tapping a pen on the clip board in her hands. “Mr. Petersen,” she started, and then stopped. “I think perhaps you should sit down,” she said, waving him to a comfortable looking sofa nearby.

 

He did not like the seriousness in her voice, and neither did he feel like sitting down but she was already moving to the sofa so he followed her. “What’s this about,” he asked. “Is there something wrong with Elaine?”

 

She breathed in deeply, not looking forward to telling him the bad news. “Your wife is doing fine Mr. Petersen. So is your child. However…..” she hesitated, not sure of how to proceed. “……there seems to be a complication with the baby’s position in her womb. We’re still working on determining the exact problem but if it persists, she may have to give birth through a caesarean section.”

 

Petersen nodded gravely, but felt like the beautiful doctor was hiding something. C sections weren’t uncommon in births but the way she said it, he sensed there was something more than just complication. He remained silent, waiting for her to pluck up the courage and tell him just what the hell was going on.

 

She finally relented. “There’s something else you need to know. Now it is still too early to determine it yet, because we could find some way to avoid it. There is actually a good chance that it might not happen at all.”

 

“Doctor Savage, I appreciate what you’re trying to do here but I would rather you give it to me in black and white. I want to know what I’m up against.”

 

She looked at him, her startlingly green eyes holding him in a gaze that was almost hypnotic until she turned towards the window. “There’s a possibility that your wife won’t survive the delivery,” she announced. “We have calculated the risks to both mother and child and discovered we can only save one of them if it comes right down to the wire.”

 

Petersen leaned back, his face a mask of disbelief. “What? That’s not possible.” He started pacing the floor, running his hand through his short ginger hair.

 

Tabitha allowed for what seemed an appropriate interval before she said, “Mr. Petersen I understand how you must be feeling but –”

 

“You don’t know how I feel,” he spat. “You don’t know anything about me.” He stopped pacing and looked out the window ashamed of how he’d just reacted. This woman was trying everything to save his wife and child and here he was treating her like she was responsible. Elaine would not want him acting this way. “I’m sorry,” he said, apologizing to her reflection in the window.

 

Tabitha came up to stand beside him. “Don’t worry about it,” she said. “Besides, you’re right, I don’t know what you’re going through. Losing a patient is painful but I can only imagine what it would feel like to lose someone close to you. However there is still a chance they could both pull through and I promise you I will do everything that I can to see your wife and child safely in your arms.” She held onto his hand. “Are you a religious man Mr. Petersen?”

 

He shrugged his shoulders. “I’m ashamed to say, Elaine was the more religious type. I just went through the motions.”

 

“I understand. Well we have a chapel here if you would maybe like to find some peace and quiet. I feel you could use it. I will be back to inform you if anything changes and when she’ll be going into labour.”