There are moments in which the world changes—and then there are moments when the world only begins to change.  That moment when things begin to change is often more important than the moments of instant change.

— Willow McLeod, Death of Lies

10 Decem, 5249 PD

“You’re going to the Council meeting,” Brendan rasped.  “And I’m going to go with you.”

Lindsay froze in the middle of getting dressed and slowly turned toward her husband.  He sat swaying on the edge of the bed, dark eyes meeting hers as she turned.

“No, Brendan,” she whispered.  “I’m not going to the Council meeting.”

“Your aunt is going to need your support, Lin.”  Brendan grunted quietly as he heaved himself up off the bed and to his feet.  Somehow, standing, he seemed less unsteady than he had a moment before.  “Especially if the Speaker’s stepping down and intending to make her his successor.”

“She has more than enough support without my vote,” Lindsay said.  Brendan came to her and slid his arms around her.

“She needs you to be there, Lin.  The Council’s going to take it like some kind of omen if you’re not there.”

“The Council won’t care.”

“All right, fine.”  He let go and stepped away, moving with careful, measured steps to the closet to find some clothes.  “When word starts to leak out that you weren’t there for this meeting, people will start to take it as some kind of omen.”  He jerked open the closet door and began to rummage for something clean.  “You need to be there, Lin, whether you want to go or not.  I’m going to come with you.”

“You can barely stand up,” she protested weakly, eyes starting to sting as she watched him.  Stubborn.  So damned stubborn.

“I’m standing fine,” he growled.  “And you’re stubborn, too.”

She made a weak sound in the back of her throat.  “Brendan, I—”

“I know you didn’t say it.”  His shoulders slumped, then straightened as he took a deep breath and exhaled it slowly.  “But I heard it anyway.”

“What’s happening to us?”  Lindsay asked in a bare whisper.  “Dammit, Brendan, what’s happening to us?”

He pulled one of his more formal duty uniforms out of the closet and shook the wrinkles and dust from it.  “Does it really matter?  I don’t think we can stop it.  I’m not sure I would want to if I could.”

“Brendan—”

The pain in his eyes as he turned toward her made her stop and swallow.

“Is it really that awful?” he whispered.  “Hearing thoughts like this…that doesn’t usually happen until forty, fifty years into a Bond.”

“That’s not what I’m worried about.”

“I know it’s not.”  He sighed and tossed the uniform on the bed.  He came back to her and rested his hands lightly on her shoulders.  “Lin, whatever I saw last night—whatever I saw before when I was out rescuing your parents—it doesn’t matter where it came from.  It doesn’t matter what’s happening.  It doesn’t change anything between you and I.”  He hesitated a moment, then added, “Does it?”

Her jaw trembled and she shook her head hard, putting her arms around his shoulders.  “No,” she said softly.  “No, it doesn’t.  Not at all.”

Brendan drew her into a tight hug, resting his cheek against her temple.  “Good,” he whispered into her hair.

“I’m pregnant,” she said, then winced.  Why did I just…?

He stiffened in her arms and straightened, looking down at her in blinking surprise.  “You are?  When did—how—?”

“I’ve known for a few weeks,” she said.  “Dr. V knows, and Kara knows.  I haven’t told anyone else.  Kara guessed.”  She caught her lower lip between her teeth.  “What does all of this mean, Brendan?  Why is everything happening now?”

“I don’t know,” he murmured, wrapping his arms around her waist.  “What I do know is that I’m not leaving your side until we make it through all of it.”

A bitter laugh escaped her even as she leaned into his chest to listen to the comforting thump of his heartbeat.  “Uncle Adam needs you to fight—or at the very least train a new crop of pilots to fight.  I need to…to…to do a lot of things, I guess.”

He rested his chin against the top of her head.  “All right, fine.  I’m not leaving this planet again, not without you.  How’s that?”

“More realistic,” she said.  “Hopefully a promise we can keep.”

She felt him wince and heard him sigh.  “Right.”  He drew back and tucked a knuckle under her chin, lifting her face to his.  “I guess we’ll just have to find a way to make that happen, huh?”

“Absolutely,” she whispered, then gave him a bare smile.  “We’ll find a way.”

He nodded, arms sliding around her again and squeezing tightly before he released her.  “Good.  Now that we’ve got that settled…we have a Council meeting today.”

“I still don’t want to go.”

Brendan smiled wryly.  “And I’m still not going to give you a choice.  Get dressed.  We’re going.”

“You’re going in uniform?”

“If I wore something else, I’m thinking that people might give me a few strange looks.”  He stripped off his shirt and half turned toward her, brows knitting.  “Half the Council already knows what we are to each other.”

“More like the whole Council.”

“Then it doesn’t matter, does it?  I’m going to be there with you, like I’m meant to be.  No arguments.”

“I think some of Alana’s stubbornness rubbed off on you,” Lindsay said with a sigh.

Brendan grinned.  “Entirely possible.  Come on.  I’d like to be able to stop for something to eat on the way in.  That way neither of us needs to cook.”

That’s the best thing I’ve heard all day.  “All right,” she said.  “You’ve got yourself a deal.”  She dug a sweater out of a drawer, watching him as he started to pull on his uniform.  “But don’t start thinking that I’m going to be letting you win all the time for much longer.”

He grinned again, shaking his head.  “I’m not going to count on anything.  I promise.”