Confirmed Rumors

Writers: Anwen, Eimi
Date Posted: 9th December 2006

Characters: Maiz, T'nac
Description: T'nac confronts Maiz on her pregnancy
Location: Dragonsfall Weyr
Date: month 1, day 15 of Turn 4

As if the move to the Queens Wing wasn't convincing enough, all the whispers and rumors swirling around surly seemed to confirm it. Maiz was pregnant. He was sure of it. And he had been with her around the time she would have conceived. There was a chance, a very good chance, that the child was his. T'nac just had to know. That's how he ended up on the ledge of her weyr for the first time since she told him they were over.

}:T'nac is here:{ Indyath informed her rider. "Shard it!" Maiz muttered under her breath, even as she noted with surprise that her dragon remembered the man's name. Confrontation with T'nac was inevitable, but she didn't want it to be now.

"Maiz?" he said uncertainly as he peeked his head into her weyr. Shards, this was... awkward. "May I speak with you for a moment?"

"Of course," Maiz replied, trying to pretend that nothing was unusual.

"How have you been, Maiz?" he asked as he walked into the middle of the room, sure she wasn't exactly happy to see him.

"Fine. How about you?"

"I've been all right." Not good. But all right. He figured he was doing pretty good considering he had thought they had a good thing going, but it turned out he was wrong. No one liked being wrong. "I heard you were transfered into the Queens Wing."

May as well just say it. "Yes, I transfered because I'm going to have a baby."

T'nac nodded, folding his arms across his chest as he stared at her boots. "Do you know who the father is?"

Maiz had to fight not to cry. "T'nac, there wasn't anyone else..."

The bronzerider's jaw clenched and his arms tightened around himself. There had been no one else for him either. "Were you ever going to tell me?"

"I don't know," Maiz said honestly. "I didn't know how you'd take it, or what you'd do. I want this baby very much. I didn't want anything to ruin that for me."

He shook his head sadly. "Shards, Maiz, I must have done something really bad to hurt you."

"You didn't," she told him. She didn't want him to think that anything that had happened was his fault, but being completely honest about the whole situation wasn't an option either. "Then why would you think _I_ would ruin it for you?" He lifted his eyes to hers, his face reflecting the hurt he felt. "Why wouldn't you even tell me?"

"I _want_ this baby. If you had gotten upset with me about getting pregnant, or suggested I abort I would have been very unhappy. I wanted to avoid that."

"As if I could have any say at all about what you do with the baby," T'nac said with a dry laugh. "You really didn't know me at all, did you. I would want to _help_ you, not hurt you."

Maiz remained silent, uncertain of what to say in response to that.

They stood in silence a few minutes, the tension growing with each passing breath. This was not the way T'nac had intended this to go. "Look, I didn't come here to fight. I came to tell you that... well, if there is any way I can help you, I want to be there. I want to help as much as you'd let me." "I appreciate that," she said softly. "But don't think that you have to be obligated to help me if you don't want to."

Obligated. What a cold word. "I know you don't want me anymore, but to my knowledge I've never fathered a child. It would be my first. I want to be a part of their life, even if I'm not part of yours."

"Okay," Maiz agreed. Selfishly, she really didn't want to share her baby with him. Wrong though it may be, she wanted her child all to herself. "All right then." This still didn't solve whatever it was that had happened between them though. He wasn't sure just how much of his help she would accept. "What can I do?"

She shrugged. "I honestly don't know. I mean, its not like you can carry the baby for me... and I'm not an invalid..."

"Do you want someone to go with you to the healers?"

"Don't you think that would be sort of... weird?" Maiz countered. "I mean, appointments with a midwife are not the same as just a regular healer visit..."

T'nac studied the toe of his boot uncertainly. "Yes, but you'll be talking about the baby. I mean, wouldn't you want someone to be there? To support you?"

"I suppose you can come if you want to," she said quietly. She didn't really want him there. Though most women wanted a lot of support when they were expecting, this was something that Maiz wanted to do on her own. H'kar had been horribly controlling, especially when she was pregnant with his sons. She didn't want that this time. He still wasn't sure if she really wanted him there. Shards, this was not how he had imagined having his first child would be. It was uncomfortable and bitter. He had always thought it was supposed to be a happy event. But even if it wasn't the way he had wanted it to happen, he would accept his responsibility. "Just let me know when your appointment is. I'll be there."

"Okay," Maiz agreed. They lapsed into an uncomfortable silence. She didn't know what more there was to say.

Last updated on the December 16th 2006

Welcome to Triad Weyrs!

Confirmed Rumors