They had left Ziv down on a lower level and taken a gondola up to the Palace itself. Ro's hand was on Silverthorn's back and he felt her tense, which made his own follow suit. This wasn't going to be easy. Rounding a corner they came face to face with the other couple, and before they could react he had opened a door and escorted Silverthorn inside.

"In here," he said over his shoulder to Ghet and Galain. His fingers brushed along a few runes on the wall and the pressure in the room seemed to lighten a bit while the air seemed to cool. Well.. at least one of them would be a little more comfortable.

Ghet gave a small gasp and shot a grateful look at Y'Roden. That was better. 'Comfortable' wasn't a word you could have induced her to use, though. She headed for the nearest chair and dropped. Not only was she not under so much strain then, but also sitting disguised her bulk somewhat. No-one was happy with the way she looked, except maybe Ro. Oh, and she was putting off looking at Silverthorn, too.

Okay, deep breath, push all the anger away, and turn. "Silverthorn, Ro has told me you won't allow him to attend our child's birth. I'm sure you don't want to hear over again what the consequences of that will be, so I'm just going to assume that you know what you're asking. In light of that, I'm asking why. I need to understand your reasons for doing this."

Silverthorn moved away from her husband and walked over to stand by the window. For a moment she was silent, her jade green gaze apparently more interested in the view outside than what was going on in the room. To walk in here, to allow no reaction to the other woman's condition to show on her face, had cost her and she needed that time to gather herself again.

Coolness seemed to settle around the dark haired elf like a cloak, the usual shields slamming into place. Only she knew how much harder it was for her to do that these days, how much more of a struggle it was to maintain them.

"To be quite honest I don't feel that I owe you any explanation for my behaviour" she said quietly in the end without turning around, "and I don't say this to be offensive or start an argument. It is just a simple statement of fact. You may need to understand my reasons but I don't need to give them to you. Ro said you wanted to talk, that he needed to reach some sort of accomodation with Galain, and that's fine, but there are very few people I discuss personal thoughts or feelings with and neither you nor your husband are on that list. I'm sorry if you find that a problem but thats just the way things are."

Ghet winced, but when she spoke, her voice was level. She had to reach back more than a thousand years for the ability to contain her feelings. It was no longer natural to her, though of course she'd kept them hidden with a certain bitter success during her marriage to Chase. "You of course have a right to your privacy, and believe me, I have no wish to intrude. I do not wish to cause you pain. The distress your decision causes your own husband is none of my business, though we both know it exists.

"Your actions, however, will cause considerable pain and stress to both myself and my unborn child. When someone acts against another person, causing them harm, I do believe they owe at least an explanation. What else you might owe me is not something I wish to discuss here." She could not look at Y'Roden, she didn't want to know what she was doing to him. She was a little surprised to hear he wanted to try to fix things with Galain. She didn't quite think that was possible. She'd asked herself how she would feel if what had been done to her, had been done to Galain, and she'd been astounded by the savagery of the rage the mere thought had caused. "My hope was that, knowing the reason for your actions might show us a path to resolution. Without knowing that reason, Y'Roden and are are just groping in the dark." Oh. Bad phrase. She shrugged. "I'm just trying to protect my child. You could hardly expect me to do otherwise."

"No, I suppose not" Silverthorn said quietly. Her gaze was unseeing as she looked out of the window, the beauty of the view lost on her as emotions swirled through her. The idea of distressing Ro was one that was painful to her and, although the same concern might not apply to Ghetsuhm or the child she carried, neither did she actively seek to cause them harm either - for the fondness her husband bore them if for no other reason. There had been a time when she could quite happily have killed the redhead and her unborn child, now she just wanted the whole thing to be over.

How though could she explain the unexplainable? Her objections to the notion of Ro being present during the birth were based on instinctive emotional responses not rational, logical arguments. The dark-haired elf just knew that it was something she could not accept, was not comfortable with. She had done her best over recent months simply to accept what was happening, to be there for her husband when he needed her, but this was simply one step too far for her.

The knowledge that in denying him this last thing was hurting her husband only added to the strain she was under at the moment, a slow torture that was bringing her closer to breaking point than she had been at any point in her life since she had escaped the asylum. Every day she could feel the old madness lurking just out of sight at the bottom of a dark, slippery slope... and every day it seemed she got just a little closer to falling over the edge. Perhaps part of her even wanted that fall, wanted to just give in to the insanity. At least it would take away that pain. About the only thing keeping her from that was her family. They were the only thing in her life worth fighting for.

"I've already given Ro as much of an explanation as I can" she said quietly, "and I will admit that it might not have been a very good one. All I can say though is that it simply doesn't feel right. I can't explain it any better than that. I'm sorry."

Galain realized he was gripping Ghetsuhm's hand very tightly and consciously worked to unloosen his fingers just a bit. He had been quite unable to look or act nonchalant since entering the room they were in now. He threw Y'Roden a surprised look just once before he looked away, swallowing down the urge to just leap at the other elf and attempt to strangle him. He listened to cool steel tone of Silverthorn's voice and had a wild desire to suddenly shout his heartfelt agreement with her.

What an odd sensation.

Y'Roden kept his silence, merely throwing Ghet a helpless look when Silverthorn finished speaking. It was the same damn wall he had run into before, and he didn't see how this was in anyway helping. He didn't miss the look Galain shot in his direction either, and barely repressed a sigh. He had no wish for an altercation with the other elf. There was no room for either of their anger in this. His son was the important thing.

Ghet exchanged a quiet look with Y'Roden. Part of her was thinking, coward, but she also understood how he felt. Damn, why did she have to understand him so well? This was like riding into battle and voluntarily leaving all your weapons behind.

It had probably been unnecessary for Ro to turn the heat down in here. If it got any chillier there'd be ice crystals forming. Doesn't feel right? Oh nice... She'd nearly bitten all the way through her tongue. Her jaw was aching from clenching it so hard. She knew what it was like to battle to stay sane, but Silverthorn refused sympathy or understanding. She refused it and she took it out on Ghet's baby. "You're sorry? Really actually sorry? You genuinely regret what you have to do but you'll still put yourself, your own needs, before a helpless child? Because it's going to do more than "feel wrong" for him. He knows Ro, already loves him. Can you imagine the tearing pain of being abandoned at birth and being aware of it?"

Ghet realised her free hand was rubbing over her abdomen, as it always did when she was agitated, and she tried to stop it. "No, it doesn't feel right. None of this feels right. You think Ro and I are asking for something we want? There's been nothing I've wanted since I was... since this all started. We've all been hurt by this, I know that. I don't want the pain to spread any further. I want some good to come out of all this."

She sighed. "I also want some surety for the future. If you will deny my son his father at the very moment when he needs him most, what's to stop you keeping him away at other times? After all, surely Ro seeing his son at all doesn't 'feel right' either." She shifted her gaze, hardened so she wouldn't show the pain, to Y'Roden. "And if you won't so much as question her... if she will willingly cause our son pain, no matter what the reason or motivation, and you won't stop her... how can I let you have him?"

Ro visibly winced, then seemed to withdraw into himself. His usually vibrant emerald eyes dulled just before his eyelids slid shut. There was no anger left in him, only pain, and for the first time in a long time ... utter defeat. They had him caught in a vice that was squeezing the sanity out of him, ripping his soul apart.

Finally his eyes opened again, but they were as lifeless as only Ghet had seen them once before. "Why don't the three of you make up your minds on what my son and I will be doing for the rest of our lives and we will just act accordingly. The luxury of choice was taken out of my hands quite a long time ago. No matter what I say or do, someone gets hurt. I don't want to hurt my son ... I ... I can't ... I can't let him end up like me."

The half-elf felt as if someone had completely twisted his insides. He had lost two sons once ... to lose another ... Ro wasn't sure he would survive it.

Ghet saw his hopelessness, and for a moment, the pressure of the past was utterly crushing. Her anger pushed it back, but it was still there. All the pain they'd caused each other through the years... So she didn't yell. In fact, her voice was raw with grief. "No, Y'Roden. You're the only one who does have a choice. And yes, someone is going to get hurt. You have the power to choose who it is, you just don't want to. Actually, no, you could choose who gets hurt more. No-one's getting away unscathed." She shrugged, and looked at Silverthorn. "Either of us could stop this, right now."

Well, Galain was very glad he hadn't shouted anything. As it was, his only choice was to support Ghetsuhm in what she wanted and needed. It's what he'd been doing, it's what he'd keep doing and now he was staring hard at Y'Roden.

"She's right. You know it. A baby is going to be born no matter what -- no matter if Silverthorn goes nuts, or if you have to go against your genetic code or I... I don't know what. We all have a price to pay here. How big is it going to be? How big does it have to be?" The Elen spoke in a low voice. He held Ghet's hand with both of his own now and stopped talking. If the S'Hean elf didn't help things out here Galain would probably punch him in the nose.

Slightly surprisingly Silverthorn started to laugh but the sound held no humour, instead it was brittle and sharp. "Either one of us could stop this?" she said, "I don't think anyone could have stopped this. It was almost inevitable from day one. No matter the choices we made we were virtually guaranteed to end up at this point one way or another."

She let her head drop forward, resting her forehead against the window glass. Eyes closed, the dark-haired elf drew in a shuddering breath and wrapped her arms tightly around her waist. She could feel her husband's pain deep in her soul like a wound. Was it possible to bleed to death from an injury no-one could even see?

"In the end he will do what he think is right, no matter what anyone else says" she said in a voice that was almost a whisper. For the first time since she had walked into the room she lifted her head, turning so that her gaze met Ro's. "I said that before, remember, and it is the truth. We both know that. The problem is, of course, that everyone in this room is only doing what they think is right."

Y'Roden's head slowly turned and he stared at Galain, hard. Those were some fine words coming from a man that had walked away from more children than Ro could shake a stick at. The accusation shone in his eyes, but he didn't give voice to it. His gaze moved to Ghet and the hand she gently rubbed her abdomen with, then shifted to Silverthorn.

"We both know what I think is right. What every molecule in my body is screaming to do. What difference does it make? You know why we are here. I gave you my word."

"So you did" his wife replied softly, her attention solely on her husband. Then her gaze dropped and she turned away again. Struck with a sudden need for fresh air she walked over to a pair of doors and opened them, stepping out on to the balcony.

Closing the door behind her so as not to disrupt the spell Y'roden had set up in the room, the dark-haired elf walked over to the railing and rested her hands upon it. A cool breeze ruffled the hair around her face. She could not see a way to resolve this situation. Whatever happened someone was going to get hurt and she couldn't see a way to stop that.

Ah. Galain hadn't missed the message in Y'Roden's eyes and at that moment the Elen's heart hardened. He watched Silverthorn escape for a moment's fresh air and the Elen turned away from Y'Roden and instead concentrated on Ghetsuhm's hair.

Palpable, thick silence enveloped them all for the moment.

Ghet pressed Galain's hand to her lips, then her forehead. It was helping her not yell "Bollocks" at the top of her voice. Like hell Silverthorn was doing what she thought was right.

She leaned her head back against the chair and sighed. "What is it with that woman and running away?" she murmured quietly. She caught Ro's eye and held it hard, drawing it away from her husband. "Don't you bloody dare." After everything Galain had done for her, everything he'd put up with through the last months, she would not have a word spoken against him by anyone, including Y'Roden.

She leaned on Galain's arm, needing the leverage to stand. She stretched her back with a small groan. "Can you ask her to come back? I'm not going anywhere yet."

Y'Roden's eyes suddenly hardened, his spine going rigid, "I didn't say a thing. Did I? And since when do you have the right to tell me what I can say and to whom? You know, you two are pretty self righteous and victimized." He gaze turned on Galain, "Don't think I've forgotten what you did to my sister. Anything you have to say about what was done is the pot calling the kettle black, now isn't it? And there wasn't anyone else in YOUR head."

His eyes snapped back to Ghet, "Don't you even start with me. I know you love him and in your eyes he can do no wrong, but I won't stand here and be bashed about the head like I'm the only one that has ever fucked up. Elyen did for An'Thaya EXACTLY what he is doing for you now. I guess he is pretty damn good at emulation."

His hands clenched, the fringe between his eyes shaking. "No, I'll not ask her to come back in here, because it isn't going to change anything. I'll figure out something, somehow, to fix this. But I'll do it on my own terms, for our SON. I'm bloody well sick of all this button pushing and if either of you looks at my wife and I like we are something the cat dragged in again I'll not be resonsible ..." He shut up, turned his back, and followed Silverthorn out onto the balcony. "Come on, we're leaving."

Bam. She should have known Ro could get to her in ways Silverthorn never could. It didn't matter if he walked away, because anyone in a 500 metre radius was hearing her whether they wanted to or not. Especially if they didn't. "I fucking well asked nicely! I'm terribly sorry, I don't know where I got the impression that I'd been a victim. But don't worry, I won't be lying back and taking it from you again."

She was pretty glad she'd had the foresight to stand up already. Tearing Ro a new one sitting down just didn't work. "He has never hurt me. Not ever. All through this, my mate has put his interests second to mine. It's not something you can say, is it? Gods, you know, the only consolation I had when I lost you was that you would find someone who loved you more than I could. Someone who could put you first. I've lost that little illusion, haven't I? Gods, I could almost believe you were better off with me!"

She took a couple of seconds to balance herself between the chair back and Galain. Her son was not reacting well to her agitation. "Don't kid yourself, Ro, she'll never budge. She's not prepared to budge an inch for you. She'd be happier if the Demon had finished the job, no matter what that did to you. She'd see your son dead rather than cause herself a moment's discomfort. And you were right before. Maybe she is quite a lot like Chase. You remember what happened to Chase, right? Ow, fuck!" Her knuckles whitened on the back of the chair for a moment. When she got her voice back, she was calmer. "I won't keep you from your son. I wouldn't do that to him. But you'll see him on my terms, with me present and her on a whole other planet. I believe we're finished here?"

Ro whipped around, Silverthorn in tow as he crossed the room. He was to angry to realize the strength of the grip he had on his wife, but he let go as he reached the table and leaned across to look Ghet in the eye. "Well I'm VERY happy for you. I'm sure An'Thaya is to, that he has been so loving and supporting and never hurt YOU. Try picturing this at night sweetheart. Those sea-green eyes have turned as red as mine ever have. Picturing him raping a woman in her bondmates own bed after she had nearly been sucked dry by another vamp. FEEDING on her to keep his own WORTHLESS hide alive. Driving her insane until she KILLS herself, then dragging her back into the living HELL of the undead. He's NOT perfect GHET, so stop trying to feed me that CRAP. HE is just as capable of hurting someone as I am, and if you don't stop shoving him in my face you are bound to lose him. Cause I don't give a FUCK anymore and I'd as soon kill him as look at him. An'Thaya just isn't enough incentive to stop me anymore!!"

"GODS! THAT is what you are married too! And you have the fucking audacity to attack MY mate? You have no Gods DAMN clue! You are BLIND!!! I've never understood it, I never WILL! And don't damn well threaten me woman, that is MY son. If you even tried to keep him from me he would HATE you. Like it or not, he's a D'Riel, he is part of the Web. Without us there is only pain and confusion. THEN who will be the baby torturer?" He suddenly went deathly quiet, intaking a sharp breath before taking a step back.

"Oh Gods... I'm sorry Ghet. Are you alright? I didn't mean... oh."

Ghet met his angry eyes levelly. The pain showed, but she would never let her weakness be an excuse. "And why don't you picture me enjoying it, Ro? It shouldn't be hard. You know the darkest depths of me, just like I do of you. Tay knows the depths of him, and yet she's still with him, just like I am. I wonder what it is about him that makes it all worth it? Oh, no I don't." Even in the depths of her rage, she would not say that.

His contrition was too late, much too late. She used the pain to feed her anger, though now it burned cold. "Go to hell, Ro. Go back. I won't be there to drag you out this time."

"I don't have to change physical locations to be in hell Ghet," Ro said softly, "All I need for that is you."

Ghet's voice was deceptively sweet. The pain had let go for a moment, and she could almost stand straight. "I'm sorry, my love. I did my best to let you out. But you just forced your way straight back in."

It was the oddest thing. He laughed, though the look in his eye was far from amused. "That is right, it was all me Ghet. I'm at fault for all of it. I'll remember that." He leaned in, "But you were right about something else. I DO know the deepest darkest depths of you as well. So that might wash in polite company, but there is none of that here. Now if we are finished traumatizing the baby?"

Throughout it all Silverthorn had stood silent, her expression cold, but, as was often the case with the dark-haired elf, appearances were deceptive. Pain and anger rocketed through her. Gods! What were they all doing to each other? Did it really have to come to this? That every time they met they started to tear each other apart? She wasn't sure she could bear it any more.

What hurt more than anything though was the guilt. This is all your fault, the little voice whispered at the back of her mind. All you had to do was accept what your husband needed to do. Ghet and Galain were prepared to go along with it. It's only you causing the problem. But then thats always the case, isn't it? It's always your fault. You're always the trouble-maker, the one with the attitude problem. The little voice turned to mocking laughter. Why are you even still here? They'd be better of without you. You know they would. They would ALL be better of without you. Even Fionna knew that. She said so. Remember?

The dark-haired elf looked up at her husband and for a moment the walls cracked just enough to show some of the pain inside. Then her gaze dropped to the floor. It's not your fault. The blame for this one is all mine. I'm so sorry she sent in a silent whisper filled with guilt and regret at the hurt she was inflicting on him.

She was suddenly very tired of the whole situation. Tired of being hurt all the time, tired hurting the people she cared about the most. What was the point to her existing at all if all her presence did was cause harm?

"I don't really care what you think about my behaviour" Silverthorn said to Ghet in a tired voice, "and my relationship with my husband is none of your business. You have no right to judge me or my actions. One thing you don't seem to have realised, however, is that no-one is perfect. Not one of us here can lay claim to that. Putting someone first does not necessarily mean being blind to their faults, or agreeing with them without question. If I think Ro is wrong I say so and I don't think he would expect me to do otherwise. The reverse is also true."

As she lifted her head, a cold smile curved her lips. "And on one point you are very wrong. If I wanted you dead, believe me. I'd far rather that I did it myself than expected the demon to do it for me."

Galain was frozen. He couldn't move, think or speak. He was too stunned by the ugly words that had flown into the previous silence and his face had lost all of its color as he stared at Y'Roden, his mouth slack. No physical blow could have taken the wind out of him like those words had and his hands shook when he tried to touch Ghetsuhm. He wanted her to sit before she actually fell. He bowed his head and then looked at Silverthorn before he just looked away from all of them.

Ghet had been wavering at Ro's last reply, her anger dying, her sense of the absurb kicking in. She'd also realised something in the last few minutes, something very important that seemed to make the whole thing suddenly make a lot more sense. And when Silverthorn spoke, Ghet laughed. For a moment, she simply couldn't stop. She waved a hand to indicate she'd be back with them shortly.

"Well, we're seriously into empty threat territory now, aren't we? I knew this because I was going to say, honey, if you want a go at me, you should get it in now while I'm relatively helpless and less likely to just rip your head off, but of course, I would never hurt Silverthorn. For Ro's sake. And Ro would never kill Galain, because he knows what that would cost him. This is all just bluster, and I think now I understand. There's not a person in this room who doesn't know that if Galain hadn't turned up alive, Ro and I would have married." She gave Y'Roden a rueful grin. "No matter how that might have turned out. Maybe it would have been Hell, who knows. None of us regrets the way things did turn out, none of us would change it. But it's still there. Jealousy. Every single one of us."

With difficulty, she walked over to Ro. During the argument she'd endured three sharp contractions, but they seemed to have settled now. "We have to stop this. Because if we don't, no-one will get a say in whether Ro's there for the birth, because I'll be dropping right here on the carpet. Ro, I'm sorry. I should never have said any of it. I didn't mean it. We came here wanting the same thing, I don't know how things got so out of hand. Will you forgive me?"

It was like having one hand on a hot plate, and the other in a bucket of ice. Before Ghet spoke Y'Roden's head swiveled around and he looked down at his wife. Stop that, this isn't your fault. It is a bad situation for everyone. He did have to repress a grin though. Silverthorn's homicidal tendencies were a source of bright eyed amusement for Ro. As long as they were not aimed in his own direction.

And then Ghet was laughing and the half-elf's eyebrows crawled up into the fringe of his hair. Either she had completely lost it, or Galain had been making shadow puppets on the wall when his head had been turned.

"Well I, for one, am not up to covering B'Rodyn's steamcleaning bill." The quip kind of slipped out before Ro could stop it, and he grinned at Ghet in a lopsided manner. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to blow a gasket ... again. Let's just all admit that this is an impossible situation. Made even more so considering it involves four people that are extremely prone to lunacy. Yes, I forgive you, as long as you'll forgive me back. But we are still back at square one."

Ghet slipped an arm around his waist and hugged him briefly. She didn't kiss him; though the two of them would have understood it perfectly, the other two might not. She tried to remember if either of them had ever witnessed a full-blown Ghet-and-Y'Roden before. "Of course I forgive you, twit. But I'm perfectly sane. The rest of you are crazy. I keep telling you, but you're too busy dancing on the table with pencils up your nose and your underpants on your head to listen."

She shrugged. There was pain, but there was also resignation. "There's nothing we can do. At least I know that now. I'll... I was going to say I'd let you know when he was born, but you'll know anyway, won't you? Poor Ro..." Even Ghet didn't know, whether she was actually beaten, or just changing tack.

Silverthorn's expression was curiously blank as she watched Ghetsuhm. If the redhead wanted to think she was just joking that was up to her, as it happened though the dark-haired elf never made idle threats. If she truly wanted Ghetsuhm dead then what Ro or anybody else thought about the subject would not stop her.

"Then if we've quite finished with this farce" she said coolly, "perhaps we can all go home now?" Ro's words had done nothing to stop the guilt that was eating her up inside. She just wanted to get out of there, wanted to be somewhere where she could have some time to herself to think.

Ro hugged Ghet back and a sad smile flickered across his face, "Yes ... I'll know. I'm sorry." He sighed and turned to look at Silverthorn. "Alright Melda ... let's go home." One last helpless look was cast in Ghet's direction. He had tried, done the best he could manage, and he was still being torn in two. He let his soul touch on his son, trying to keep his heartbreak away from him in the brief goodbye.