Eli had been out on a scouting run with Genny, hoping to find more survivors of the attack and forrage up more medical supplies. When they returned, they had a lone survivor with them. Opening the door to the deli, he held it for the ladies. "Ladies first," he tried to bring out his best southern gentleman's manners.

Genny was the first through the door, a heavy pack on her back that she dropped down beside the long deli counter. "Sadie?" she called, glancing back at the survivor who stepped in after her. Genny had a feeling the Deli owner was going to have a minor meltdown when she saw who the Nexus had thrown into the middle of the street during their foraging mission. "Sadie, you here?"

Eli ushered them in and securely locked the door behind them. "Make yourself comfortable, we'll get you something to eat and drink," he told the girl, then went to pick up the pack and disappeared into the back.

Hearing Genny's call, Sadie pulled her hands from the thick, sticky dough and wiped them on her apron. "Coming!" She called out and put her hands onto her hips to straighten her back. This was a slow act that resulted in much crackling and complaints from the muscles in the small of her back. She turned then, and waddled towards the front of the Deli. "What is it, Genny? I was making cinnamon rolls."

As the young woman they had found sank slowly down onto one of the rebuilt chairs, staring about herself with wide eyes, Genny stepped in front of her, lifting a wide smile for Sadie's benefit. "You shouldn't be on your feet so much," she scolded her friend lightly, gesturing to a seat nearby. "We found someone out there. She's just been dropped by the Nexus - right into the middle of a war zone."

"It keeps me busy," Sadie waved a dismissive hand with a smile as she sat down. Looking up at Genny as she spoke, she nodded attentively. "Then I should go get a bowl of soup and a sandwich, something cool to drink for her. She's got to be starving." Tilting her head, she tried to see around Genny, but didn't have much luck.

"Oh, please, don't worry about me," the young woman who had been brought in spoke up finally, having noticed the gravid state of the woman speaking to one of her rescuers. "I'll survive a little longer. Your friend's right, you should be taking a break." She leaned around Genny and smiled encouragingly for Sadie.

The moment the girl started to speak, Sadie lifted her chin and her eyes slowly grew wider and wider. Her jaw dropped slowly, pumping up and down, but nothing came out. And when the girl came into view, Sadie gasped audibly and tears sprung to her eyes. The room tilted upon its side and Sadie slumped forwards and out of the chair she was in, onto the ground in a dead faint of shock.

"Oh ... god!" The girl was up and out of her seat faster than Genny could reat, sliding with her knees under Sadie's head before the pregant woman could hit the floor. Gently, with the ease of years of practise, she lowered Sadie's head to the floor, keeping her on her side, and looked up at Genny. "Got anything soft to put under her head?"

"Sadie!" Genny was on her knees as quickly as she could be, helping to support her friend. Her hand stroked softly against Sadie's cheek as she looked up at the young woman whose face had been such a shock. "Soft? ... Yes, hang on, just a minute." She pushed herself to her feet and grabbed a pillow from the bedrolls that were set up by the counter. "Is this okay?"

"Yeah, that's brilliant," the girl smiled, taking the pillow and easing it under Sadie's head. She looked up at the suddenly panicked woman who had saved her life outside, and made a quick decision. "Can you go and make something hot? Tea, coffee, whatever she likes best ... plenty of sugar." As Genny hurried into the kitchen, the girl looked down at Sadie thoughtfully, laying a hand against the swollen belly. "Come on, sweetheart, wake up," she coaxed quietly, rubbing the swell of Sadie's belly. "Everything's okay."

Sadie whimpered softly and her eyes fluttered open. She focused on Genny's voice, a frown creasing her brows. "Rosie, I saw Rosie." Sadie was confused and disoriented. Trying to sit up, her eyes landed on the stranger once again and Sadie's hand went to her own mouth, muffling the scream.

"Easy ... easy ..." The woman frowned, worried for the fainting female beside her. "Genny?"

"I'm here, I'm here." Genny reappeared quickly, setting the half-filled cup she brought with her onto a table, and dropped down beside Sadie once more, helping her friend sit up. She wrapped her arms around the distraught deli owner, rocking her gently. "Sadie, calm down. Everything's fine. This isn't Rosie, I promise you."

Sadie clung to Genny, but stared wildly at the familiar stranger. "No, you're dead. You were cremated. No, no, no." Pulling back her head, the distraught Deli owner shook her head. "Genny, she's dead. She's dead. Can't be her, right. Right?"

Sighing, Genny waved a hand, ushering the woman out of Sadie's line of sight. When that was done, she turned her attention back to Sadie, still gently rocking her as reassuringly as she could. "Sadie, listen to me," she said firmly, with the confidence that helping resist the attackers in the marketplace had given her. "Rosie is dead. She's not coming back. Are you with me so far?"

Sadie calmed immensely when the girl went away and was able to look Genny in the eyes and nod in a childlike way. "Rosie is dead. Right. Not coming back, even though this is Rhy'din and reincarnations are a dime a dozen. Right."

Genny smiled for her friend, stroking her cheek as she continued to speak. "Now you trust me, don't you? You know I can see everything about a person, and I'm not wearing gloves today." Slowly, she was building up the layers of truth until she could drop the bombshell again. "I know she looks like Rosie, and I know she sounds like Rosie, but she isn't. You have to believe that. Her name is Libby, and the Nexus dropped her on top of Eli when we were crossing the square."

"I can't examine you when you're walking, and I won't leave you standing alone while I get myself suitably covered," Libby explained patiently, in a manner that suggested she'd had to trot out the explanation too many times to count. "Once I've had a look, we'll get you back up again." She helped Sadie settle down, and straightened, stripping off her dusty jacket as she headed for the closet. A few minutes later, and she had dragged a set of clean chef's whites on, rolling up the sleeves to scrub her hands and wrists clean. A box of disposable gloves was found and set on the desk, and she returned with the largest of the dress shirts she'd been able to find. "When the time comes, we'll get you into that, you'll be more comfortable," she assured Sadie warmly, moving to kneel at the foot of the bed. "Okay, when you're ready, open up."

While Libby was in the process of suiting up, Sadie had another contraction and was recovering from it when Libby returned. She was breathing heavily and sweat had broken out on her brow. "I can't believe this is happening," she groaned and closed her eyes as her knees fell apart. "Where are Mat, Genny and Eli?"

"They'll be here," came the confident answer as Libby examined her carefully. "Genny and Eli went out as soon as they could to go and fetch your Mat, so they'll be back very soon, I'm sure." She pulled her gloves off inside out, and gently touched Sadie's knees together again. "All's well down there. Now then, up we come. Let's dance." Her grin proved that she was teasing.

Sadie kept her eyes closed as she was examined and when it was over, she used the strength in Libby's arm and hand to help her sit up, and ultimately get up from the cot. "I can't see my feet, so I'm a terrible dancer." She looked into Libby's face again and tears began to well up in her eyes. "I'm sorry," she whispered and turned her head to look at the picture of Rosie, up on the wall. "You look so much like her."

"Terrible or not, I'm going to waltz you around until your waters break, sweetheart," Libby insisted with a smile, pausing as tears filled her patient's eyes. She followed the gaze to the picture on the wall, blinking her eyes wide for a long moment as she stared. It was like looking in a mirror, to a certain extent. "Okay," she said slowly. "I get the shock now. You'll have to tell me about her sometime."

"Don't think I'm up for waltzing, how about a tour of Rosie's kitchen while I tell you about her?" Sadie was fighting to regain control of her body, emotions and mind. As they slowly made their way into the kitchen, Sadie touched each counter and pot with the tender affection of a woman who lost their sister.

"I'm all yours, Sadie," Libby grinned, keeping her hand pressed gently to the woman's back as they walked. She could see how painful it was for Sadie to even look at her, wishing for a moment that she had not stripped the black dye from her hair the week before, but then how could she have known she'd be transported to some strange place beyond anywhere she'd ever known? "You must have been very close to her."

"She was my best friend," Sadie leaned against the counter and squeezed her eyes shut as yet another contraction hit harder than the last. "Mmmmmngh!" Her knuckles whitening as her fists balled up. "Ah, it hurts! Maaaat! I want Mat!" And in the middle of the little temper tantrum, Sadie's eyes flew open and she stared down at the puddle at her feet. "I've peed myself! Y'see that?" Her face was red from the contraction and made even more red from embarassment.

"Oh, okay ..." Libby didn't even glance down at the puddle, smiling as reassuringly as she could. "You haven't wet yourself, that's your waters broken," she assured Sadie. "So I need you back in the office, and we'll get you changed, because things are going to move on faster now."

"Oh, well I've got to get a mop and clean it up," Sadie turned to walk towards the broom closet. "The kitchen is no place for spills or bodily fluids."

"You're not doing any such thing," Libby told her firmly, steering Sadie back into the office. "And I'm putting my foot down, Sadie; I'm more than capable of tying you to that cot until you agree to do as you're told."

"But it needs to be cleaned up," Sadie complained, even as she sat down on the cot and began to undress. "That kitchen has won awards, wouldn't do to have it a mess." Another contraction rocked her back onto the cot and she curled up into the fetal position.

Sitting beside her, Libby held Sadie gently as the contraction wracked her, once more coaxing the woman to keep her eyes open as the pain rippled through her womb. As it subsided, she helped her sit up. "It will be cleaned up, but I think right now your priority should be yourself and you baby." She pulled the huge shirt she'd found off the desk. "Get yourself changed, I'll drop a couple of towels over the mess so people won't slip."

Sadie peeled off the shirt she wore and was unhooking her bra when Libby went into the other room. Picking up the shirt, the collar was marked D.S. and she smiled as she put her friend's shirt on, leaving it unbuttoned. Wriggling out of her pants, she gathered the sheet that was at the end of the cot. Lying back, she pulled the sheet up and over herself.

Libby was as good as her word. Not only did she cover the spill with more towels than was really necessary, she also set the disinfectant nearby to remind her to use it, and put up the Wet Floor sign over the towels. Returning to the office, she grinned at Sadie, patting her newly washed hands dry once more as she slipped a pair of gloves on. "Let's have a look at you, then."

Sadie was dozing when Libby walked into the room. When she spoke, Sadie's eyes flew open and she jerked into wakefulness with surprise. She had to remind herself that the woman waiting on her was not Rosie. Turning onto her back, she put her hands behind her head to allow Libby to examine her. "Where are you from?"

"Boston," Libby told her with a faint shrug. She was obviously a nurse; from her own clothing, she had extracted a pen torch so she could see more clearly what she was looking at. "Born, raised, moved out and lived there. The whole family was settled in about a four block radius."

Sadie whimpered as she was being examined, her hands moving to her rounded belly. "And the Nexus just brought you here?" She was feeling drowsy again, now that the contractions had ebbed for the time being.

"Sorry, cold hands are a problem, I know," Libby winced as Sadie whimpered, extracting her hand gently. "I have no idea what you mean by the Nexus. All I know is, I stepped down off the bus and landed on a cute guy in a pile of rubble."

"Maybe you should loosen your grip a little so that the little one and her mother can get clean and comfortable," Libby suggested with a chuckle. All the unpleasant side of childbirth had been dealt with while the parents were caught up in their own little world, and all that remained was for Sadie and the baby to be cleaned up.

Mat glanced over at the midwife briefly, then frowned, and found himself staring, looking between the picture on the wall and the redhead. He spoke out of the corner of his mouth to Sadie. "Is that who I think it is?"

Sadie felt so exhausted as she lay there, limply holding onto their daughter and swaddled in the arms of her fiance. Her lids kept drooping and she laughed softly when Mat did the double take. "No, Rosie's eyes were green." She reluctantly gave up custody of their daughter to Genny, then rolled to her side, head in Mat's lap.

Libby was quiet and gentle as she tidied Sadie up, covering the sleepy mother in a warm blanket before taking everything unsanitary outside the office with her.

With more enthusiasm than experience - or success - Genny washed the tiny baby girl and wrapped her up in a warm blanket, handing her back to Sadie with a nervous smile before making her own hasty exit.

Eli nearly tackled Genny when she came out of the office. "Is Sadie alright? What'd she have? Is the baby alright?"

"She's fine, it's a girl, and ask Libby," were Genny's answers as she drew the door closed behind herself, giving the new parents some privacy. "Come on, you ... we need to go looking for diapers, at the very least."

Eli hugged his wife and kissed her softly. "Let's go get diapers and bottles and blankets..." His list rambled on as they left the deli.

"Weird that your midwife looks like her, though," Mat commented mildly, stroking his fingers through Sadie's hair lovingly. He couldn't take his eyes off his daughter, almost incredulous that she was even his. "You know what we're going to call her, of course."

Sadie sighed happily, curling the baby to her breast and feeling for the first time that let down when colustrum rushed to the nipple to nourish the newborn. The baby was a natural, latching on after only a few tries. At his question, Sadie looked up with a smile. "Hortense?"

"God, you have no idea how sexy you look right now," Mat breathed to Sadie as their daughter latched on, flickering a cheeky smile to his fiance as she teased him. "You name any of our kids Hortense, that's ground for divorce, right there," he threatened laughingly, curling his arms about his girls once again. His chin rested on Sadie's shoulder. "No, I was thinking more ... Rosie."

Sadie didn't have the energy to be embarassed when he told her she looked sexy. Instead, she closed her eyes and relished the warmth of the family bond that was so strongly being put into place. When Mat said that name, she gasped softly and opened her already teary eyes. "Really, Mat? We're going to name her Rosalind?"

"Really," Mat promised with a smile, pressing a soft kiss to her cheek. "Rosalind Lacey, if that's okay with you. For your family and mine."

"Oh Mat," she cried softly and turned her head to press a kiss to his lips. "I love you, I really, really do."

"Easy, mind the gobbler down there," he teased, kissing her lovingly as his arm came up to help support the newly named Rosalind. "She'll never forgive you if you interrupt her first ever meal just to kiss her daddy."

"I think she's asleep," Sadie whispered and looked down at their daughter fondly. When she looked back up at Mat, her smile was wide, if not sleepy. "Sing me a song, Mat. I'm tired." She snuggled her head into his lap and curled her arms around the sleeping Rosalind. Life couldn't get any better than this.

"Sing you a song? Really?" Mat's brow rose as he eyed his sleepy lover warily. "You trust me to sing something that's going to make you rest easy? Wow, you must really love me." Clearing his throat, he wracked his brains for a song that might suit. One made an appearance into his head, and he began to sing softly. "Twinkle, twinkle, little bat ..."

Sadie giggled softly before his voice lulled her to sleep.



In a distant tent, Russ had his arms folded over his chest as he watched what had happened from beginning to end. He closed his eyes and reached to touch the image of Sadie, Mat and little Rosie. He trembled as the spell passed through him and a soft, gentle bubble of protection surrounded them. When he was done, the glass went black and he turned to return to his duties for the evening. Work was work, after all...

((Thanks to all involved!))