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Tav had been back home several months when Gale noticed she was starting to withdraw a bit. She seemed excessively tired and he caught her staring into space a lot. He let it go for a bit, thinking maybe it would pass. But it seemed to get worse as time went on.
“Tav, my love, you seem preoccupied lately. You know you can always unburden yourself with me, right? Have I done something to cause you grief?” Gale was worried that he had done something to set their progress back.
“Hmm?” She looked up from the corner of the carpet she had been staring at. “Oh! No, Gale. Nothing is the matter. I’ve just been tired lately. I’m sure it’ll pass.” She gave him a smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes.
“Tav,” he admonished.
“Love, it’s nothing to worry about. I just need a couple of good nights’ sleep, I’m sure.” She moved from her chair to sit with him on his. “In fact, I know of a way you can help with that,” she said as she slipped her hands around his neck.
“Is that so?” He grinned, momentarily forgetting about his concerns.
***
Tav lay awake after their love making, staring at the canopy above the bed. She had been trying to hide her worry from Gale, but clearly wasn’t doing a very good job of it. She had been feeling quite awful lately; tired, bloated, queasy. She was pretty certain she was pregnant.
They had discussed having a family years ago, and neither of them had been particularly keen on the idea. Tav was mainly concerned about passing down her bloodline, but Gale had never given a real reason for not wanting kids, other than not seeing himself as father material.
She’d been putting off going to a healer because if she didn’t go, it wasn’t real. If it wasn’t real, then they wouldn’t have to deal with it and just continue on with their lives. But she couldn’t put it off any longer and when Gale was at work the next day, she made her way to the healer who verified her suspicions.
“Congratulations, Mrs. Dekarios! I’m sure your husband will be thrilled.” She told Tav she was around two and a half to three months along and everything was looking normal.
Tav thanked her and promptly made her way to the park near their tower where she sat on the bench that she and Gale had sat on almost a year ago, and stared off into space, wondering how she was going to tell Gale. She briefly wondering if she shouldn’t even bother and just get rid of it, but it wouldn’t be fair to him. And he’d be furious if he found out.
Would their child be a monster, like she had been? Would they be as powerful as Gale and draw the attention of Mystra? Maybe they’d cancel each other out and it would turn out to be completely normal.
What would happen if she decided she wanted to keep it and he didn’t? He might regret trying to fix their marriage and maybe he would realize he should have been with Amelia or someone else, even. She’d have to move out again and maybe go back to her job on the dock. She was performing some, but she wasn’t making enough to make ends meet on her own.
Or what if he wanted to keep it and she decided she didn’t. Would he resent her forever if she aborted it? Would she resent him if they kept it?
She sat on the bench until nearly sundown, when Tara found her.
“Mrs. Dekarios! There you are! We’ve been worried sick!”
Tav snapped out of her contemplations. “Oh shit, I’m sorry Tara! I lost track of time.” She stood and Tara wrapped herself around Tav’s shoulders. “Is Gale out looking for me, too?”
“Yes, but I Sent to him let him know that I found you and we’ll meet him at home. Are you quite alright, my dear?”
“Yes. No. I don’t know.” She sighed. “I need to talk to Gale about something when I get home. Would you be okay to give us some privacy? I don’t know how its going to go.”
“Oh, will you finally be telling him you are with child?”
Tav stopped in her tracks and looked at Tara. “You knew? What the fuck, Tara?”
“Language, dear,” Tara admonished and gave Tav a gentle swat on the nose. “Yes, I’ve known for a bit. Did you not?”
“I…I thought I might be. I confirmed it with the healer today. Do you have any insight into how he’ll react?” If anyone knew what to expect, it would be Tara.
“That I cannot say. I know his mother will be thrilled, but I understand why you might be feeling apprehensive about it.” She lifted herself off Tav’s shoulder as they reached the tower. “Either way, you two will work it out. You always do.” She flew off as the door to the tower opened for her.
Gale was pacing around the main room as she walked in. He practically flew to her. “Where the hells have you been? I’ve been worried sick! I thought…”
“I’m pregnant,” she said simply. He stopped and stared at her.
“I’m sorry, could you repeat that, please?” There is no way she said what he thought she did.
“Pregnant. I am pregnant.” He continued to stare at her like she had five heads.
Gale’s brain short-circuited. He couldn’t talk, he couldn’t think. His eyes became unfocused and the room seemed to spin. He didn’t realize he was starting to panic until Tav grabbed his arms, pulled him down onto the couch and told him to breathe.
“Gale? Gale, look at me. Look at me,” she commanded until his eyes refocused on hers. “I need you to take some breaths. In….out…good.”
He breathed with her until the tightness in his chest subsided.
“You okay now?” She was still gripping his arms.
“I..I don’t know. I’m…I wasn’t expecting…Is this what has been affecting you the past while?”
“Yes. I didn’t know for certain until today when I went to the healer. But I suspected.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?” He asked her. “Love, I would have helped shoulder your burden.”
“I know…I know. I tried to tell myself it wasn’t anything. Denial I guess. If I didn’t talk about it, it wouldn’t be real.” Tav looked up at Gale. “What do we do?”
He pulled her into an embrace. “I don’t know, my love. But we’ll figure it out.”
They decided to just sleep on it for the night and talk about it more tomorrow. But Gale couldn’t sleep. When he was sure Tav was deep in slumber, he crept out of bed and down to the kitchen for a nightcap. He poured his drink and sat at the table, just swishing it around without actually drinking it.
Gale never saw himself being a parent; he never thought he would have that option. But now that it was thrust upon him, did he want it? Did Tav? He knew Tav’s worries were more about her own parentage than raising a child itself. Would the child feel the call of Bhaal? Or would they be more similar to him and catch Mystra’s attentions. It seemed that no matter what they ended up like, there was a chance that their child would be the pawn of some god. Or maybe they’d completely different and end up being a barrister or a blacksmith or something mundane.
Would they even be good parents? They spent a long time working on their own issues and insecurities, but he doubted that those would ever truly go away. And they themselves had only just built their relationship back up after it nearly crumbled. It certainly wasn’t an optimal time to bring a child into the mix.
He took a sip of his drink and tried to imagine what their home would be like with a little one running through the tower. Maybe a little girl with wavy brown hair like his, or a boy with Tav’s intelligent eyes. Tara would love having a little one around again, not to mention his mother, who had been begging for grandchildren since he became an adult. The tower filled with a child’s laughter and cries. Toys and books everywhere. Sitting with them to do homework, fighting with them when they got caught sneaking out in the middle of the night to go drinking with their friends. Them having their own family and he and Tav as grandparents.
By the time he had finished his drink, he had not come to any conclusion as to what he wanted, but he was finally tired enough to go to sleep. He put his glass in the sink and made his way back up to bed. Tav’s back was to him, so he pulled her close to his chest and draped his hand across her waist and let it rest where his child was growing inside her.
***
Gale had to work the next morning, so they agreed to talk about it when he got home that evening. After he had gone, Tav called for Tara to come to the tower.
“How did it go last night, my dear?” Tara asked as she sat on the counter waiting for Tav to give her some fish.
“Not bad but not great either. We’re going to talk more about it later. But, I actually wanted to ask you if you knew how to summon Withers. He’s the one who brought me back after Bhaal. I wanted to see if he might know the likelihood that my…heritage…would be passed down.”
“Oh yes, of course. Mrs. Dekarios and I still meet with him for tea every now and again. I’ll send him a message for you.”
“Thank you, Tara. You’re a good friend.” She placed a plate of fish on the counter.
When Tara had finished, she went up to Gale’s laboratory to do whatever magic thing she needed to do to call for Withers. Not 30 minutes later there was a knock at the front door.
“Well, that was quick!” She exclaimed as she let Withers in. “Thank you for coming. Can I offer you anything?”
“Yes, I should like some tea,” Tav brewed some and brought it into the main room where Withers waited for her return.
“Thou art with child,” he said before Tav could say anything.
“Er...yes. We haven’t made any decisions on what to do about it, but I need to know: Will it be a child of Bhaal? Will his blood get passed on? Will my child be a monster?” Tav had to put her cup down she was shaking so bad.
“No. When Bhaal murdered thee, he took back all that belonged to him. The blood that runs through thy veins is thine own.”
Tav didn’t know if that made it worse or better. If the answer was yes, then the decision would be easy. But now they had to decide simply based on whether or not they wanted children.
“Can you tell me if the child will be as powerful as Gale?”
“No.” Withers didn’t elaborate.
“No, it won’t be or no, you can’t tell?”
“Yes.”
Tav sighed. Talking to Withers was sometimes an exercise in futility.
“Don’t suppose you can see into the future, can you? Though I suppose if you could, you wouldn’t tell me anyway,” Tav laughed to herself.
Withers’ lips upturned slightly, which Tav had always interpreted as a smile. “Thou would be correct.”
Having gotten the answer she really wanted, she moved onto asking him if he had been in touch with any of their friends and how they were doing in their lives. Karlach and Wyll had settled temporarily in Calimport. Shadowheart was still in Baldur’s Gate, Lae’zel was still fighting Vlakkith, and Halsin was still playing Dad to dozens of former refugee children. He didn’t have any news about Astarion, which was mildly concerning, but all in all everyone seemed to be doing well.
Tara and Withers also caught up on whatever gossip they were involved with.
“It would be nice to have another reunion,” Tav lamented as Withers finished his tea and stood to leave. He only nodded and bid farewell.
“Well dear. Did that help you at all?” Tara asked once he had gone.
“Maybe? I don’t know. It might have been an easier decision if it was going to be evil,” she said as she began to clean up. Tara followed her into the kitchen.
“Mrs. Dekarios and I would love to have a little one around again. She doesn’t mention it much to Gale anymore, since she knows of your history, but she would love to be a grandmother. And I know Gale would be an excellent father, whether he believes so or not.”
Tav nodded. “I agree with you on that. But only if he actually wanted to be one. I’m worried that if I keep it, he’ll resent me and wish he hadn’t bothered to fix our relationship.” She paused. “Maybe he would have been better off with Amelia.”
“I’m going to pretend you didn’t just say that,” Tara admonished her. “So you want to have the child?”
Tav was silent for a few minutes as she started getting dinner prepared before Gale got home. Did she? She now knew that it wouldn’t be evil. She pictured Gale coming home and scooping up a toddler version of himself. She also imagined what it would look like if Gale was no longer in the picture because he left her. Both made her heart ache in completely different ways. “Maybe,” she finally answered.
***
Gale couldn’t concentrate and by noon he gave up and left work for the day. He ended up walking around the city trying to clear his head. He found his gaze fall on the young families he walked by and the children playing in the park he walked through. Could he do that? He thought Tav would be an excellent mother, but would he be a good parent? His own father had passed so long ago that he barely remembered him and never had a father figure, unless he counted Elminster, which he no longer did.
But the thought of losing the parts of Tav and himself that was growing inside of her filled him with a kind of sadness that he had been unprepared to feel. This child would be born of their love and devotion to each other; they had struggled so much and this was beginning to feel like a new chapter in their lives. Maybe they were ready for this.
He found himself heading home and was startled to see Withers leaving the tower. He noticed Gale and gave him a nod before he disappeared into a portal. Why would Withers have been there?
He walked into the tower and heard Tara and Tav talking in the kitchen. He heard his name mentioned so he stood outside of the doorway to listen in.
“…And I know Gale would be an excellent father, whether he believes so or not.” He heard Tara say
“I agree with you on that. But only if he actually wanted to be one. I’m worried that if I keep it, he’ll resent me and wish he hadn’t bothered to fix our relationship. Maybe he would have been better off with Amelia,” Tav replied. Gale’s heart sank. He would never want Tav to believe that he regretted any part of their relationship, nor that he would ever prefer to be with anyone else, especially Professor Picardo. He was also a bit surprised that they both thought he would be a good father. It warmed his heart a little.
“I’m going to pretend you didn’t just say that. So you want to have the child?” Tara prodded.
He held his breath while he waited for a reply. It was a long time before she answered.
“Maybe.”
Gale snuck back out into the front entry to make some noise to announce his arrival home, feeling a bit guilty about eavesdropping.
“I’m home, darling,” he announced.
Tav came out to greet him. “Hello,” she kissed him. “You’re home quite early. I’ve just barely started dinner.”
“No matter,” he said. “I found myself unable to concentrate at work and thought it best to just call it for the rest of the day. How was your day? Are you well?” He pulled her in for another kiss.
“Withers stopped by today.”
“Oh? And what news did he bring? Another reunion or does he want us to save the world again?”
“I, uh, asked him if he knew whether or not it would be a Bhaalspawn.” Tav looked away.
“Tav,” Gale said as he guided her chin back so she would look at him. “What did he say?”
“That Bhaal took all of himself back when he killed me. There would be nothing to pass along to a child.”
Gale felt a great relief hearing that. “That is good information to have. How do you feel about it?”
She backed away from Gale and walked back into the kitchen to continue preparing dinner. He followed her.
“I don’t know. It would have made the decision easier if the answer had been different.” She faced away from him to chop some carrots.
He came up behind her and removed the knife from her hand. He noticed her hands were trembling a little. “I have to confess, I heard part of the conversation you and Tara were having.” He turned her around to face him. Her eyes were wet with unshed tears. “I was disheartened that you would believe that I would regret any part of our relationship, let alone that I would prefer to be with anyone over you. Of the many errors I have made in my life, being with you has never been one of them.” He wiped away a rogue tear from her cheek.
“I think I want to keep it,” she whispered. “But if you don’t…”
His hands cupped her face and he brought his lips to hers, kissing her gently. “I don’t know what kind of father I will be, but if you want to keep our child, then I will do everything within my power to be the best one I can.”
She tucked herself into him and he put his arms around her in a tight embrace. “Are you certain? I…”
He kissed her head. “My love, you need not worry. I was leaning towards keeping it anyway.”
Tav sighed, letting go of some of the tension that she had been holding onto. “You were? Any particular thing happen to lead you in that direction?”
“You, sit,” he ordered as he led her to the table. He picked up the knife and continued chopping the carrots that Tav had started on. “No, nothing in particular, but I felt an ever-growing dread at the thought of losing the child growing inside of you. And now knowing that it will not be touched by Bhaal, I feel as though perhaps its the right time for us to take on this new adventure.
“I know it won’t be easy, and I don’t have any reference for being a father - I barely remember my own, but Mother and Tara will be there for us, and our friends, I am sure.”
“Well, we will be quite the pair, then, as I definitely don’t have any parenting role models,” Tav lamented. “I suppose we’ll figure it out as we go.”
***
“Gale, sit down! You’re going to wear a hole in the floor,” Tara said from her perch on the back of the wingback chair in the main room.
“How am I supposed to just sit and…” his sentence was interrupted by Tav’s scream from upstairs. He grimaced and stared up at the ceiling anxiously. Her contractions were getting worse.
“There isn’t anything you can do. Your mother and the midwife are helping her. You will just get in the way.”
He sat, but his leg bounced nervously. Tav had been in labour well over a day by now and hearing her cries of pain were undoing him. It was considered improper for the father to witness the latter part of labour and the delivery, but Gale found himself caring less and less about propriety as time went on.
“To the hells with this,” he said as the sound of her latest cry of agony made its way downstairs. He marched himself up the stairs and into their room. Tara followed, trying to get him to go back downstairs.
Tav laid in their bed, sweat and tears pouring down her face. She was exhausted and looked barely conscious. He ignored both his mother and the midwife’s protests and got into the bed behind her, gingerly moving the pillows at her back so that he could support her instead. He took both of her hands. She leaned her head back against his chest and wearily looked up at him.
“You’ll be alright, my love,” he whispered to her. Another contraction ripped through her and her face contorted in pain. She gripped his hands hard enough that he felt his joints pop. “Breathe,” he talked her through it. “Good. In…Out…”
It was another couple of hours before the midwife said she should start pushing. “You need to leave now,” she told Gale.
“No.”
“Gale, darling,” his mother started. “You can’t…”
“I can and I will.” He dismissed his mother’s words and looked down at his wife. “Are you ready, love?” She weakly nodded.
Gale’s mother and the midwife just looked at each other. “Fine, but don’t pass out. I don’t have time to deal with you, too,” the midwife told him, exasperated. She threw a sheet over Tav’s legs so Gale couldn’t witness the gore of childbirth.
“Alright Tav, with your next contraction, push…”
***
Tav leaned back against Gale, beyond exhausted, with their baby laying on her chest while the midwife dealt with the afterbirth. She would rather fight a thousand Netherbrains than do that again.
“Tav, you were amazing,” Gale whispered as he peered over her to stare at the tiny creature they had made.
“Thank you for being here,” she slurred, barely able to form words in her exhaustion.
He kissed her sweaty temple. “My love, I would never want to be anywhere else.”