Cora wiped her face with her hands. "I'm sorry," she said. "I just I kind of flipped out."

"The vision wasn't bad," I said. "I promise it wasn't. And we get it—if you'd emerged from the baptism ceremony looking like you'd jumped into a pool, I'd have freaked out too!"

"Yeah, well," she murmured, glancing down at my stomach, "maybe I'll just do that out of spite in six months, see how you like it."

I laughed, the sound surprising me, and Cora's face broke into a tentative smile.

"There's my girl," Roger murmured, lifting a hand to wipe away her remaining tears.

"I think we need to hear all of it," Cora said, nodding to Sinclair and then to me. "Please. Just maybe just for this baby, our first."

"Okay," I whispered, nodding. Sinclair and I then told her everything—the wonderful things we saw for Rafe as he grew up, his happiness with his cousins. We also told her about the darkness we saw and the incredible way he moved through it, and the challenges clearly laid out for his future.

"Wow," Roger said, a little baffled as he looked down at his baby. "I have I have no way of really comprehending what any of that means," he murmured.

"It was difficult to know what we were seeing," Sinclair replied, looking to me for confirmation. I nodded. "Then Ella got really pissed. That's when she jumped into the pool."

"What?!" Cora gasped.

I shrugged. "I wasn't going to let her end the vision there. So we kind of got into a fight, and then she gave me the last image—of Jesse old and happy, so I'd go away."

Cora burst into laughter, looking down at her baby. "We chose the right godmother for you, baby," she sighed. "Always getting her money's worth."

"Damn straight," I said, looking up at Sinclair with a clear "told you so" expression. "Only the full baptism experience for my baby nephew."

"So, what do you think it means?" Roger asked, looking between us.

"I don't know," I replied, resting my hand on my chin and gazing at the baby, wondering about his very strange and very interesting future. "He's going to be very close with Rafe and the new baby girl. And the way he handled a dagger, and the way he was dressed—I think he's going to be a warrior."

"That fits," Cora sighed, looking up at me with a little guilt in her eyes. "We saw Rafe was going to be a warrior too. So, at least they'll have each other."

A little anxiety stirred within me, but I just nodded, tucking the information away. I mean, considering who his father is, I can't say I'm surprised. But I can think about how I feel about it another day.

"I think it's more than that, though," I murmured. "Something Mom said—"

"Wait, what?" Sinclair said, interrupting and stepping back slightly, looking down at me. "She spoke?"

"Oh yeah," I said, giving a slightly apologetic laugh and a shrug. "I forgot you didn't hear her. My bad."

"Your bad!?" he said, appalled.

"Yes, my bad!" I retorted, rolling my eyes and brushing a hand dismissively through the air. I turned my eyes back to Cora. "Mom said that Jesse's mission will be his own and that she doesn't know the outcome. But honestly, Cora, he seemed very capable. And very powerful."

I looked up at Sinclair, wondering if he felt the same. He sighed, looked at me, then nodded to his brother and my sister. "That was the impression I got too. That whatever gift the Goddess gave him it's a powerful one."

Cora and Roger were quiet for a long moment, their gaze fixed on their little boy. Sinclair and I sat quietly, letting them process their thoughts.

"You know," Roger said quietly, thoughtfully, "if you'd asked me before he was born if I wanted him to have a weird, cool, powerful gift, I'd have said hell yeah. But now that he's here? And he's so tiny?" Roger took a deep breath that broke my heart a little, shaking his head as he stared at his son. "I wish his gift was something stupid, like being really, really good at bowling. Or just being magically kickass at Scrabble."

"He'll get that from me anyway," Cora murmured, smirking slightly, and I bit my lip, seeing the humor returning to them. Because if they were joking about it I think it meant they were strong enough to get through it.

"The last thing Mom said to me," I said quietly, and Cora's eyes flashed up to me with a little dread—like she didn't want any more information tonight.

I laughed and shook my head. "No, it's good!" I said, raising a hand. "She said to trust them," I continued, nodding. "Trust our kids. And it felt very true—I mean, we're all aware that we're not bringing kids into an easy life. They're born into responsibilities. We have to raise them to be strong, and then when they're grown? We have to trust them to handle themselves in the world."

Sinclair nodded slowly, agreeing. "And I don't think the Goddess would have given Jesse a powerful gift if she didn't think he could handle it," he said softly, putting a hand on my shoulder. "I don't think she's in the business of screwing over her grandkids."

Cora sighed, nodding too. "Just giving her daughters extreme anxiety," she muttered, sighing and running a hand over Jesse's sleeping head.

"I think that's probably all moms," I said, standing and leaning against my mate, who pulled me close. "But I mean, I think it's going to turn out okay."

"Why do you say that?" Cora asked, looking up at me again, I think hoping for another hint from Mom, who of course knows more than we do.

"I just have faith," I said, smiling. "These kids—they're going to be good eggs, and we're going to love them a lot. If they end up with the fate of the world in their hands?" I looked up at my mate and shrugged. "Then I think the world's got a pretty good shot."

Sinclair smiled at me, leaning down to kiss me before we turned back to Cora and Roger.

"You guys coming downstairs?" I asked, nodding towards the door, eager to get to Rafe and give him a cuddle and whisper how loved he is, even if he can't hear me.

"In a minute," Cora replied, giving me a tentative but warm smile. Because even if she was still a little spooked, I knew she agreed with me. Our kids were going to be great—we just had to have faith in them.

"We'll be waiting," Sinclair said, giving them a steady nod, and together we left the new parents alone with their son.