“Come in...”

  Ever smiled; her voice sounded stronger recently. He pushed the door in - then immediately switched into reaper mode. He streaked across the room in a flash, becoming flesh and blood by the window where Zoe stood.

  “Why are you standing?” He asked, clutching her shoulders. “You should be resting.”

  “I’m sick of resting,” Zoe said, wriggling out of his grasp. “I need my vitamin D, damn it.” She looked up at the sky forlornly, where the clouds were blocking the sun.

  “At least sit down.” Before she could object, he crossed the distance to the bed in five strides, pulling across the chair next to it.

  She sighed but acquiesced. “So how is it to be a dad-to-be?”

  Ever knelt, resting his hands on her knee. Through the hospital gown, he could feel how much thinner her thigh had become.

  “I did some research,” he said quietly. “It takes nine months for a baby to come to full term.” Zoe stroked his hair absentmindedly, not saying anything.

  “Mentor Death says that your belief of me as his apprentice, the existence of souls, my talking to animals and Mother Nyx are not normal things.” Ever looked up at his partner, dark eyes catching the little light the winter sky was willing to share. “Why do you accept it all so quickly?”

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  Zoe slouched back in her chair slightly, wove her fingers above her belly and looked out the window. “You’re right, all those things you mentioned are pretty insane. Especially your seven-foot-tall night mommy. But when you know that you only have months to live, your belief system completely changes.

  “When I started seeing Nika months ago, I could have written it off to this illness. Upped my dosage, kept counting down. I chose - no, I knew - that she was the soul of one of the first animals I put down.

  “Same with you. I could sense something special about you. Call it fate or whatever, but I felt drawn to you. Then you told me that you were Death’s apprentice. You proved it. I could have denied it or forced myself to ignore the evidence. But no, I just… believed you. Because I had nothing to lose.”

  Ever shuffled in closer, resting his hands on Zoe’s belly. “Do you also believe that you can become a mother, despite…” he could never bring himself to mention her impending death. He knew that her soul would still be there, but the knowledge that one day the light would leave her eyes shook him to his core.

  Zoe rested her hands on his. “All I know is these three things: first, I know that the math ain’t mathing. I know I don't have nine months left to live. I try not to think about it too much. Second, I didn’t plan for this to happen. Three, I wasn’t trying that hard to prevent it because I thought to myself, ‘how cool would it be to nurture a life inside me with my favourite person by my side?’”

  Try not to think about it too much. If Zoe could be at peace, then maybe he could be as well.