St. Mungos ~August 29, 2025~

Darien nodded. "You promised Nick. So...that means..." His eyes widened. "He's...it's...what..." He staggered slightly.

"No...No way."

He turned away. "I-I have to go..."

"Wait no Darien please wait!" Her meter spiked up significantly, significant enough to warrant the beeping noise again. "Oh dammit!" She suddenly felt very sleepy, she had tripped a spell to give her sedatives to calm her down - just a precaution to make sure she didn't hit critical condition. "Ahhh...." And soon she was drifting off to sleep.

Darien glanced back at Diana one last time.

"I'm sorry...This is something I just can't deal with."

He left the room and emerged into the hall.

At the sight of a familiar...acquaintance, he stopped dead.

Diana was hurt by what Darien had said... but before she could formulate a proper reaction, she was put to sleep.

-----

"What are you doing here?" Nicolas demanded. Unlike Diana, Nicolas was quick to the point.

"If I recall correctly, you ordered me to bring the healer." Darien spat the words, glaring at Nick. Just the thought of his son-if he was his son- being raised by Nick, calling Nick father, repulsed and angered him.

((aww, Darien's mean. Nick's so nice to Darius! *pout* ))

"Well it was the least you could do, considering you put her here." Nicolas spat back in reply.

"Maybe in more ways than one." Darien glowered at Nick, waiting for him to catch the implication.

Nicolas' eyes glowered. He couldn't know... could he? "Well what else are you waiting for? You're free to go. You aren't needed anymore, not that you ever were."

"Debateable." Darien's eyes narrowed. "Maybe you're the one who doesn't need to be here after all, Nick."

That settled it. He knew. He silently cursed Diana. He should have known she wouldn't be able to keep it from Darien. No, Nicolas wanted the boy too much now to let him go, especially to Darien. Darien had past on him when he left Diana. The baby was Nicolas' now. He had to make sure of it. Had to! He was all Nicolas had to look forward to.

Nicolas quickly wore a mask of disinterest. He seemed to force himself to ask. "And what does that even suppose to mean Vaight?"

"I think you know damn well what it means." Darien hissed.

Nicolas pretended to be bored. "No, I think you have to enlighten me Vaight. What does it mean?"

Darien blinked. "Don't act all unaware. You're the one who made Diana promise not to say anything."

"Made her promise not to say what?" Nicolas pretended not to know. "Really Vaight, just spit it out, I've got more things to worry about than your odd fancies."

"About the goddam baby, that's what!" Darien's anger mounted, although seeds of doubt were slowly being sown in his mind.

"OH!" Nicolas exclaimed over-exaggeratedly. He laughed then, making sure to hit what ever doubts were in Darien's mind. Nicolas knew his cousin well enough that she wouldn't simply break a promise, she must have simply implied it. "You think the baby is yours?"

Darien glared at Nick. "...Prove it's yours."

"I don't need to prove it." Nicolas said with a sneering smile. "If the kid was yours why would she concede to marry me? Wouldn't she have tried to tell you before hand, before all of this?"

"..I...She..." Darien's doubt grew, and his face began to burn.

Nicolas' smile grew as he saw Darien's emotions play about his face. He continued. "And do you really think, that I would accept your" he spat it out as if it was disgusting " - child as my own? Darien," Nicolas used his first name in mockery. "I don't even like you. How could you expect me to like your child, let alone call it as my own? And that's exactly what I am doing, I am claiming him as my own because - the child Diana is carrying is mine. Not yours nor anyone else's."


Nicolas smirked. "Would you like me to entail how I got her pregnant? Would that be good proof? Or how about I just give you the memory and you watch in a pensive?"

Darien glared. "Never."

He turned on his heel, to hide his emotions. Angry, hurt and slightly embarrased, he began to storm away.

Nicolas watched Darien Vaight walk away with a violent sneer in his face until he vanished. Nicolas felt a tinge of guilt, he knew he had hit Darien below the belt that time and he felt terrible for Diana. He was sure now that Darien would turn away from her, but what else could Nicolas do? If he hadn't, Nicolas would have surely lost the baby to Darien, and if that happened, Diana and the baby would be the perfect target for the purgers... He pushed the guilt away.

He headed towards Diana's room just to walk in and find her asleep. He looked at her sleeping form contemplatively and whispered, "I'm sorry, I know you'll be angry at me for what I did, but it is the only way to keep you and the baby safe."

Diana snoozed on in reply.

____

On the way out, Darien was intercepted by Jackie, "Hey, did you manage to find the room?"

Darien side-stepped around Jackie. "Yes. I did." His tone was designed to discourage any further communication.

He knew he was being rude, but he was too angry and, although he wouldn't admit it, upset, to do otherwise.

Jackie however, was not discouraged. "So judging my your tone, it didn't go well?" She quickened her step so she could keep up with him.

Darien said nothing, and continued walking towards the entrance.

Maybe if he didn't say anything, she'd go away... ((lol))