赤裸裸的滑稽故事

Axel did not get to stay long with Alice before he was called back to duty.

"I don't understand…." Axel sighed with frustration.

"It doesn't make any sense," Corrine replied, showing frustration. "First, the fae are pulling back. Now the hybrids have pulled away. What is their plan?"

"I don't know," Axel groaned, rubbing his temples with the heel of each hand. "I have no idea what the hell is happening anymore."

Corrine looked carefully at her son.

"Axel," she called to him.

He groaned but did not look up at her.

"Sweetheart, you've barely slept since Alice left for Spring. Now she is back, and you still aren't resting," Corrine said sweetly, reaching her hand to gently pat his shoulder.

His only response was another sigh.

"Has Bell said when Alice will be able to come home?" Corrine asked.

"She won't," he replied, sitting back in his chair. "I have asked Alice to stay in the Safe Zone."

"Why would you do that?" Corrine asked. "I know you're worried about her, but Alice is a fighter. She is more than capable of taking of herself."

"I know," he said. "But there are other things to consider, risks to her health."

Axel looked to the ground. He and Alice had yet to talk much about the current situation. Still, the one thing they had agreed on was that they would not tell anyone else. Only when they felt like there really was something to share.

He let out another sigh. His heart felt like a lead weight in his chest. He had a knot in his throat ever since Bell confirmed the pregnancy. It had only worsened as she explained the lesions and the infection.

Axel wanted hope, to believe there was a chance that they had received a miracle. But the reality was far more likely that they were at the start of a tragedy. One that he wasn't sure Alice would be able to recover from.

"Axel, is everything all right?" Corrine asked. "Have the lesions gotten worse?"

He felt guilty not telling his mother the truth, but he couldn't handle anyone else knowing right now.

"No," he replied softly, "no, Bell and I agree that Alice has put herself at risk too much. Her body needs time to rest."

"Ok," Corrine nodded. "But if something is wrong, you can tell me."

"I know," Axel said. "I'm just tired, mom."

"Darling, get some rest," Corrine replied.

"There is too much to do," Axel replied.

"Not tonight," she said. "Tonight, you need rest. The war will still be here tomorrow."

"Mom…" Axel tried to object.

"Axel," Corrine said firmly. "You cannot take care of your family or pack if you are running on fumes. You need to sleep. I will take care of the rest of these reports. We can go over them tomorrow. Go home."

Axel chuckled.

"You know, I don't think you're allowed to talk to the Alpha like that," he smiled.

"I'm not talking to my Alpha. I am talking to my son," Corrine said with a smile. She reached out and petted his hair. "So please, for once, listen to your mother."

Axel took a deep breath.

"All right," he said. "I will go and get some rest."

"Good."

***

Axel did not return home that night. Instead, he slipped into Alice's hospital room. He sat in the chair beside her, watching her sleep peacefully.

There was a time when she couldn't have slept like this. A time when a hospital would have had her so on edge that without a strong sedative or life-threatening injury, she could only pretend to sleep. But every day they spent together, she opened herself a little more to the world around her. Every day, she let go of just a little bit of the pain that weighed her down.

Alice let out a soft giggle and turned over. She had a smile on her face as she let out gentle breaths. Her hand naturally moved and rested low on her stomach. Axel couldn't help but feel a stabbing in his heart.

Would she be able to move on if the worst happened? Would he?

Axel stood up from his chair, moving beside her. He brushed the hair from her face behind her ear. She stirred, waking only for a moment. She smiled and nodded approvingly before sleep took her once again.

He smiled to himself and then slipped into the bed beside her. He held her close, nuzzling into her body's sweet scent and warmth. His hand moved atop hers to rest low on her stomach.

As he breathed in her scent, Axel let the gentle pull of sleep fall over him.

He opened his eyes, surprised to find himself in a familiar location. He was standing in the center of Lily's Rest. He looked down and saw himself dressed in his finest, then he looked toward the arch that served as the entry.

He had dreamed of marrying her many times, and he smiled. Each dream gave him a new image to adore. He waited patiently for Alice to arrive for their wedding.

"Hello, Axel."

Axel turned, surprised by the strange voice. Behind him stood a woman much like his sister but just different enough to know it wasn't her. She wore a long blue dress with a matching cloak around her shoulders.

"Who are you?" Axel asked.

She stepped toward him, and her dress faded, leaving behind a suit of armor. The Valkyries armor.

Axel furrowed his brow.

"My name is Lily," she smiled. "I am your many greats grandmother."

"Lily… but how…"

"This is a dream," she said with a tilt of her head. "The land of dreams and the land of death are close to each other. Close enough that sometimes those who have left can pass over and visit a dreamer here and there."

"Are you real?" he asked. "Or are you a dream?"

"I'm very much real, great son," she said.

"Then, you're the one my sister sees?" he asked.

"More than sees," Lily corrected. "Ashleigh and I share a deep connection that spans the generations of our family."

"Right, because she has some connection to the dead?" he replied. "Which I don't have, so how can I see you?"

Lily smiled.

"While Ashleigh recovers, I can move more freely," she said. "And I have come to you with a singular purpose."

"And what purpose is that?" he asked.

"And I am here to alleviate your fear."