And yet, I do not know your name

[Tristan Drage]

The past months had left him weak in mind, body and spirit, but Tristan still had the energy to charge through the halls and up the stairs to the suite. With a grateful smile at Sarah, he could feel his heart hammering his chest as he turned the doorknob. Her warning was well taken. His eyes lit up as the door swung inward, slowly. Magical torches bathed the room in light. All fear he had was vanquished as he observed a toy broomstick stashed on top of the armoire. A doll with blonde ringlets lounged on her side on the floor. Books and magazines of all sorts were strewn over the coffee table.

Tristan was quiet as he stepped into the smaller of the adjoining rooms. Eliza and Erik were curled up in their beds. Bursting with joy, the large man was careful to tread lightly as he planted a kiss on each of their foreheads. With a smile he turned out of the room. Their sweet faces were still vibrant in his mind. He plead to Merlin that this was not a fantasy of the nightmare that had plagued him for so long subjected him to.

Breath caught in his gullett as he took in the next room. There she was, moonlight caressing her face. Tristan bent down, brushing Julie's soft lips with his own. His eyes widened as he pulled back, registering the small, wrapped bundle on her belly. Excitement jarred his bones. Tentatively, he reached down and picked it up in a gentle motion. He smiled down at Julie as he cradled the infant to his chest. The large man was captivated as the tiny child opened her eyes. They were big, a light blue. His new daughter mewled a little, and then snuggled closer to his skin. What is your name?

 

[Julie Bennett-Drage]

Julie woke up with a start as she realized that Evan was not on her stomach any longer. She must have fallen asleep with the tiny baby after the last feeding. The sudden realization that there was not a tiny body lying with her sent her into a panic. She sat up fast, scanning the bed and felt her heart drop as she realized that Evan was not there. Her auburn hair whipped around with Julie's head as she tried to discover exactly what happened to her baby. Then, it stopped completely. There was a man in her room holding her child. A man that she at first thought was just her imagination or a ghost, but it wasn't. Her voice failed her as she took in the scene before her. "Is it really you?" she whispered, afraid that she was actually dreaming and speaking too loudly would wake her up.

 

[Tristan Drage]

The infant already had the forty four year old man wrapped around her finger, and she could only be a day or so old. She stared back at him with curiosity. It was like this for some time as he studied her features. She was very much like Julie- and yet, he could see a bit of himself in her too. He found himself bringing his fingertip to her soft cheek, stroking it fondly. He was not happy that he had missed her passage into this world, but he vowed to be there for her always. He would be there for her first steps, words, teeth- everything that he had missed out on with his other children. This was his chance to prove that he was not an utter failure.

His smile broadened as Julie stirred. Guilt took hold of him as she rose, her expression wrought with pain and fear. This was his fault. Everything was his fault. Gingerly he approached her, managing to choke, "Yes, it is really me." He didn't have to glance in the full length mirror to know that he looked like complete hell. Surely he was not fit to be in the same vicinity as his radiant wife and their baby. Their beautiful little daughter.

 

[Julie Bennett-Drage]

Julie sat there in a daze. Tristan was really standing there in front of her holding their newborn daughter. As she stared at her husband, she had a litany of confusing emotions racing through her mind. She didn't know if she should be furious or estatic at his appearance. Sitting in the bed, she spoke at him, just barely above a whisper. "Put our daughter down in her bassinet please." She was still not sure of what her reaction was going to be and decided to just roll with it. She remained seated in the bed until her, their, daughter was safely out of the way.

 

[Tristan Drage]

Tristan had not been sure what to expect from Julie in the first place, but in all honesty what she told him to do confused him. He never wanted to let this baby go. Instead of arguing with her, he stepped forward and placed the infant in her bassinet. It was amazing that his strong, rough hands could be so gentle. Tentatively he adjusted the blanket so it was wrapped lightly about her tiny feet. With that, he took a few steps from the baby crib, unable to keep his eyes off of Julie.

 

[Julie Bennett-Drage]

Julie's hormones began to rage through her body, still making her flip from anger to sadness to excitement. Josh had informed her of what was going on and why Tristan was gone, but her emotions still settled on anger. She stood slowly, still a bit in pain from the previous day's birth, and gingerly moved across the room to her husband. The closer she got to him, the more her body raged in anger. She was not totally in control of her emotions, or her actions for that matter. Standing right in front of her husband, she looked up at him, hauled back her right arm and let her fist fly at his stomach, landing her punch just above the pubic bone.

As soon as the punch landed, she regretted it. Her emotions flipped again, and she litterally was jumping on her husband to kiss him. "I missed," kiss, "you...so...MUCH!" She kept kissing him between every word she spoke. "Don't...ever....do...that....again! I..can...not...handle...being...with...out...you!" She was beyond any other emotion and on to excitement over his return.

 

[Tristan Drage]

Tristan could only smile at his wife as she approached him. His features morphed in no time as Julie's fist connected with his stomach. He let out an 'oof' as he keeled over, his whole midsection writhing in pain. And he had thought Thorine was ferocious- when it came to blows she had nothing on Julie. The man didn't retaliate. He deserved this entirely. He was totally thrown off guard when punches to the face were swapped out for kisses. Wavering between confusion and joy, Tristan returned her affections as he wrapped his arms around her legs to hold her up. "I am sorry- so sorry," he murmured in between kisses. "It will never happen again. Ever. I promise." And for certain this time.