Absent the Lord Inquisitor, the other Inquisitors gathered. Despite being talked to, Aria Tsambikos was still fuming over the Lord Inquisitors plan. All the while, Clare had originally held out against the plan only to be beaten down by all parties involved, and since then, accepted the plan with heartless logic. Heather Silas, the Inquisitor of the Destroyer Ebony Heart, arrived hours before into a new world of tension and intrigue.

“To think of how many of theirs I have killed, it’s amazing to see such… comradery,” Heather commented as she watched several pirate raiders attempt to engage with a handful of her soldiers that surrounded the dining hub.

Clare hummed as she nodded in agreement as she pried bits off a skewer with her teeth and chewed the delicious meat. She didn’t know what kind of meat it was, nor did she want to know. As improperly secluded as the area was, it still suited their needs besides, Clare was starving, and if there was one thing she could say about pirates is that they knew how to make good food out of limited resources.

“Yeah. I was thrown off by the invitation. I honestly expected a trap…” Clare paused as she took a drink, “Yet here we are, my child prodigy turned- something.”

Heather smirked softly as Aria scowled, Inquisitor Silas’s demeanor ever-neutral as she considered all that she had gleaned from Aria’s tirade. With a casual flick of her wrist, she pointed in Clare’s general direction to garner her attention, “She sort of reminds me of Pandora,” she commented.

Clare gave the woman a puzzled look, the content so obscure it even broke Aria’s stewing. Heather was unfazed by the looks she received as she shrugged, “More like Pandora in reverse. She came into the Inquisition shy yet obstinately bold, did she not? Now she works to gather an army, an armada, for the coming war. Much like how Pandora used to be a blood-hungry warlord and became our lovable flamboyant bartender.” She gestured weighing both sequential descriptions in self amusement before turning her attention back to those that surrounded them.

“Warlord is an understatement!” Aria spat, “What she doing breaks every law of humanity. Weapons of mass destruction are the only thing the CoU and Federation ever agreed upon but this… planet killer, even if potentially, is beyond anything we've ever done and far exceeds reasonability… I don't understand how you two are okay with this?”

Aria leaned back in her chair, pouting as she crossed her arms, “We should be arresting her, not praising her for her war crimes.”

“I get what you're saying, Aria, I do,” Clare sighed as she finished chewing her food.  “But it’s not that simple. We can’t just arrest an Inquisitor on suspicion… or even intent regardless of what she has said.”

Aria scoffed and leaned forward to argue however, Heather interjected. “Rule of law is not black and white, Ms. Tsambikos. There are many angles in which you must inspect the crime before rendering judgement,” Heather’s words were fluid, hollow and spoken through years of wisdom. “And war? War is every shade of grey you can imagine. Miss Clarke may quite possibly commit a grave sin, yet I have committed many atrocities in the name of peace and order; torture, execution, criminal conspiracy, all of which are our darker set of tools to do our job.”

“Yeah but…” Aria started before Heather tutted the young Inquisitor.

“At the age of 28, you are the second youngest Inquisitor we’ve had. You're still filled with noble idealistic notions and watching the galaxy through rose colored glasses. Eventually, you'll see the galaxy for what it is… and then you’ll understand,” Heather finished as she took a drink from her private glass of wine.

Aria slammed her fists on the table, obviously insulted by the comment of her age, “We’re not talking about mere criminal acts! She’s planning on creating the means to destroy a planet! A planet of billions of people!”

Clare understood Aria’s sentiment. She too had the same feelings before coming to understand where Morrigan was coming from. With an eye roll, Clare set her data slate next to her plate, “Potentially. Yet these new reports state that the Federation has destroyed three more worlds. Two manufacturing worlds, one being a CoU controlled world, and an agricultural world that heavily supplied the Eskarii’s pharmaceutical research… that’s not even including all of the CoU shipyards and ships and…” Clare trailed off in thought with a shudder, “As drastic as it is… Mori has a point.”

Aria looked as if she were prepared to argue before deflating in her chair. “Yeah but… all I’m saying is there is a difference between dozens of ships attacking a planet and one person with one weapon capable of doing the same…” She sighed as she recalled the Intel they had received, “Its sad, horribly so, but we have to draw the line somewhere… don’t we?”

“We did, and the Federation crossed that line far before Morrigan considered her plan,” Heather pointed out passively.

Clare sighed, lazily tossing the clean skewer onto the table. “Yeah… if anything, Mori blames herself,” she stated empathetically.

“Well if Solomon’s file on her is any indicator, she should,” Aria huffed as she leaned back again. Despite getting along with Morrigan when she first became an Inquisitor, she felt that Morrigan had done extraordinary things but at the same time, gotten away with a lot of things that should have put her behind bars.

Heather’s jaw cracked she contemplated what she had heard, eyeing those around them closely before looking at Aria, “If I were you, I’d be careful how loud you say things like that.”

The disbelief on the young Inquisitor’s face shown as she held her arms out as if she had done nothing wrong. Keeping her voice low, Heather leaned forward, “You’re entitled to your opinions however, you forget your company. I’d bet every credit that there are a lot of people here who would shoot you for a lot less.”

Clare nodded in agreement, “As much as I don't want to agree, she has gained an unnatural amount of support… ending up on the bad side of that support would not be good.”

Huffing in irritation, Aria folded under the admonishing, “Whatever. We’ll see what happens when Danafor shows up. Speaking of, where is this so called prestigious leader of ours?”

“The Lord Inquisitor is currently in the central recreational hub number two and on the verge of mediating a conflict of interest between Clan Rylanor and individuals from the Lightning Strike, Inquisitor Tsambikos,” Sister interjected from one of the nearby speakers, punctuating the Inquisitor’s name with a bit of sass.

Heather watched with an amused smirk as the blood drained from Aria’s face, all the while Clare held her head in hands, “Well shit, that can’t be good,” Clare stated sardonically before pushing her chair out and getting to her feet.

Knowing the layout of the Eden the best, Heather and Aria followed Clare as she wove through the intermittent crowds of people within the corridors. Clare carved a frantic path, growing worried by the outcome a fight between the Inquisition and the pirates could come to especially with Morrigan in the middle.

She didn't want to admit it, but she wasn't entirely certain on where Morrigan’s loyalties lie. Between all four major factions that have flocked to get banner in one way or another, it was becoming hazy on if push came to shove, who Morrigan would stand with if things fell apart. She knew she always had a sense of wonderment when it came to the Eskarii and the Marmuro’k, but that elevated into a unique position of power and influence, Morrigan quite literally getting in bed with the Eskarii royalty, and becoming a chieftain, which as far as Clare knew, was the highest political position in the Marmuro’k. There was Nora, the ex-pirate that once again became a pirate and dragged Morrigan in tow only for the Inquisitor to seize and hold ultimate authority over the pirate clans… and then the Inquisition, one of the highest authorities in the galaxy and Lord Inquisitor Solomon relinquished his title and authority over to Morrigan, all of which made Morrigan the most powerful political figure in the galaxy.

It was a daunting thought as to what Morrigan would do seeing as her allegiances were, somehow and miraculously, deeply imbedded into everything except the CoU.

◇◇◇

An intense warmth spread throughout her body as Morrigan stormed into the gymnasium to find a brawl had broken out. The seething irritation had turned to anger as she witnessed dozens of pirates cheering or being kited into the fight with Inquisition personnel, but what irritated her more was that none of personnel from her ship did anything to put a stop to it. Instead, she had to intervene.

“Hey!” she shouted however, the raucous noise drown out her voice as she approached the crowd. Instead, she began shoving her way through which was little trouble. Once people realized who had been pushing their way through, a small opening cleared up and the noise slowly died down as Morrigan approached the center to find a handful of Inquisition soldiers on the ground grappling with pirates she distinctly recognized.

She felt her fury rise as she looked around at the now nervous faces surrounding her, many refusing to meet her crimson gaze. A shockwave of power emitted from her as brilliantly bright red energy crackled across her body throwing everyone within 15 feet of her off their feet including the ones that fought, oblivious to her presences.

Most of the fighters recognized who had interrupted them except for two, a burly middle aged man by the name of Rylanor, and a Inquisition lieutenant she didn't recognize.

She watched them tumble over one another and with simple flicks of her wrists, large spectral claws separated the soldiers from the pirates before she summoned a ten foot wall of energy between them. Just like her shield dome, Apollyon had insisted that she practice using that specific power and molding the skill to be useful in nearly any situation such as blocking an escape or in this case, keeping two entities from killing one another.

“What the fuck is going on here?!” she demanded sharply before eyeing Rylanor sharply, “And why are you not on your way to the refinery?”

Rylanor chuckled as he got up, for one reason or another unafraid of her wrath, and took a long winded breath, “Sorry Queen Mori, your tech guy mentioned that that squirrelly little lizard man ya got was still makin batteries for the blasters he made for us an the boys are still workin’ on loadin that tank of yours, heh.” Rylanor brushed his pants off as he eyed the trooper on the other side of the transparent and crackling barrier who was helped to their feet.

Thumbing in the direction of the Inquisition soldiers before wiping the streak of blood that ran from his nose to his greying mustache in one swift movement, he stated, “We figured we would have a little fun and invited this lot to a friendly game of ball until that stupid twat started running his mouth and talking bad about ya… and we didn't take too kindly of some wanker disrespecting our queen.” Rylanor spoke with a hint of animosity, not directed at her however, he made sure his words could be heard by the offending party, before lowering himself enough to be cordial in the most uncultured of manners, holding his arms out wide and giving her an awkward bow before standing tall and leaning back with his chest out as if he had done something special.

Morrigan sighed heavily closing her eyes, trying to let the deep seeded stress in her neck release if only for a second before turning her gaze to the soldiers. They wore Inquisition armor however, she wasn't familiar with the color pattern of their plate which left her guessing whose ship they belonged to. “Who is your Inquisitor?” she demanded just as sharply as she had of Rylanor.

Whoever the lieutenant was nearly made the mistake of not answering, but after a moment, he stood tall and professionally before announcing, “Inquisitor Tsambikos.”

Her nerves grated as she felt the smug look he gave her from behind his masked helmet, his eyes barely visible through his visor. She knew Tsambikos was angry, she could feel it ever since she had been informed of her plan however, the actions of those under Aria's command began to raise questions in Morrigan's mind.

Morrigan stepped around the barrier into the side Aria's soldiers stood only to stop and look at Rylanor, “If you recall, I have survived every assassination attempt made against me. As much as its appreciated, I do not need you nor anyone else defending my honor,” Morrigan commented flatly.

Rylanor was caught off guard, sinking in his stature a moment before placing his hand on the pistol that hung from his hip, “Yeah I get that… Ma'am-my Queen… and I agree that you can handle yourself but when…” Morrigan cut him off by raising her hand to silence him and looked back to the lieutenant.

“Who instigated this fight? Answer me now, that’s an order,” she spat as a series of questions and answers collided in her mind, some making sense and some not as she could feel the nervous and anxious emotions around her.

Like a proper soldier, the lieutenant answered right away, “They did ma’am. One of them reached for a weapon and we moved to disarm them and restrain them…”

“Oh that's a loud of bullshit!” Rylanor interjected, several of his crew nodding in agreement as their hostile emotions began to ramp up once more. “You were the ones who…”

Morrigan’s gaze bore into the man as she warned him, “Shut up, Rylanor.” Her words filtering through grinding teeth as she tried to focus on the man standing before her. His emotions were shrouded by everyone around her and trying to pick up how he was feeling in a crowd was still something she needed to work on however, the more she drown out the ambient energy, the more it became clear that not only the lieutenant, but those standing at attention behind him held anger towards her. Possibly even hatred.

Morrigan paced in a short arc closer to the man, eyeing him with intent, her patience wearing thin at the situation she found herself in. Not dealing with a potentially petty infighting, but what could become something she had always worried about, always feared. With everything looming on the horizon, the stress, anxiety and pressure of leadership was threatening to break her. Everything she had endured, every consequence of her actions and decisions were slowly coming to bear. Between the Federation lashing out on a deadly crusade, her pregnancy, and the possibility of unleashing something upon the galaxy that should never exist, it was becoming too much.

“As unruly as my men can be, I know better than to believe they instigated this fight. So, lets try this one more time… Who instigated this fight?” Morrigan demanded.

All she wanted was honesty, but she could tell the man, nor his subordinates respected her. They way he held his shoulders back, his gaze following her as she took each step, and the nervous, hostile excitement from those standing behind him. She had an inkling as to what would happen next however, she really wanted to believe she was wrong.

“I am under Inquisitor Tsambikos' command, we do not answer to you,” the man spat. As fast as he finished the sentence, Morrigan closed the gap in a flash of crimson. One of her spectral skeletal wings were wrapped around the both of them as he dangled merely inches from the floor, his legs kicking as Morrigan held him aloft by the throat.

A moment later, the rest of the lieutenant’s unit drew their side arms, and everyone within the room drew their weapons on them in an overwhelming display of deadly support that had them second guess their actions.

“And she is under my command! In case you forgot, I am the Lord Inquisitor! So when I asked you a fucking question I expect an answer and I will not tolerate insubordination!” Morrigan shouted as the man struggled in her grasp.

“You're a monster is what you are!” A familiar voice came from the crowd.

Hearing those words took a moment to process, but a smirk briefly cracked across her face. Morrigan turned, energy crackling across her body in irritation as she turned to see Aria standing in front of the armed crowd, some of them turning their weapons towards her, those not of the Inquisition at least. Flanking Aria stood Heather, who cocked her head curiously at the scene surrounding them and Clare, her mentor, holding her forehead in her hand as she shook her head in disappointment and exhaustion. It was a sentiment Morrigan too shared.

Morrigan could feel the animosity that radiated from Aria, much like the heat from a furnace. Still holding the lieutenant, she took a sharp breath and shouted, “Everyone stand down, now!” feeling a twinge of stress relief when everyone in the room obeyed her command.

However, Aria was quick to counter, “Coming from the one strangling my men,” her words filled with hate-filled venom.

Morrigan couldn't necessarily disagree as she felt the man try and force her to release him by beating on her arm, his strikes becoming weaker by the second. It wasn't necessarily her intention however, she had been interrupted while trying to make a point about the chain of command, something she never truly had to do. Before she could say anything though, she heard the removal of a handgun and moved to grab the lieutenant's arm. Instead of a rebuttal, Morrigan crushed the bones in his forearm forcing him to drop the gun and with casual ease, tossed the man into his subordinates. To say she was fed up was a gross understatement. In truth, she was at wit's end.

“That's it, I'm done playing this game!” Aria stated drawing her own pistol and aiming it at Morrigan, “Lord Inquisitor Clarke, by the Order of the Inquisition you are hereby placed under arrest for the crimes of mass murder, cruel punishment, treason, crime against humanity and conspiracy to commit genocide.”

That brazen statement was the final push that caused Morrigan to crack; a wide grin spreading across her face as her skeletal wings fading from existence and a chuckle slipping out from her lips. “Arrest?” Morrigan mused as she looked around the room and everyone in it. She didn't look at anything in particular, but the existential anxiety that seized around her spine made it uncomfortable to stand still.

Aria steadied her aim as Clare let out a loud groan, “Seriously?” Clare complained as Heather pursed her lips in her own amusement as she watched.

“For the destruction of Mars, unjustified and cruel use of force, intentions of destroying Earth, and whatever else you've been up to. You may be the Lord Inquisitor but you're not above the law!” Aria explained before adding, “You are the antithesis of what the Inquisition stands for and have no right to be in command.”

The sheer audacity was funny to Morrigan, making her chuckle more as everyone became very nervous, slowly backing away from the coming conflict between Inquisitors. Except, part of Morrigan couldn't deny what Aria said. Despite doing what she had hoped to be some good in the galaxy, she had also carved a very bloody swath across it too. Much so that should couldn't refrain from shrugging and nodding.

“And who does?” Morrigan laughed, “You? The golden child of morality?” she took a step closer as the building stress seemed to tighten around her soul, “You think I wanted this? You think I wanted this responsibility? The pressure? The stress?” Morrigan asked rhetorically as she moved closer, watching everyone step away even farther.

“Look around you, Aria. Do you really think I wanted this? Do you have any idea what its like?” She inquired, eyeing Aria suspiciously as she felt the slightly older Inquisitor's anger wane and anxiety increase. “I was barely comfortable commanding my own ship. I had just became a chieftain, recovering from exhaustion only to have the fucking bomb shell Solomon dropped on me.” Morrigan stopped several feet from Aria as she looked around at the mix of pirates and soldiers from every Inquisition ship, “I was terrified. The weight of carrying everyone's lives aboard the Archangel upon my shoulders was nerve wracking let alone the entire Inquisitions! Including yours!” She pointed at the woman.

Morrigan slowly stalked closer, almost like a predator circling its prey as she felt the emotional barrier she had put up begin to crumble, “Do you know that weight? To carry the mantle of millions, most of which you've never met, upon your shoulders? And then have the Federation start their war? Now tack on the countless lives across the galaxy!”

Morrigan’s anxiety began to bleed into her words as a chuckle slipped from her lips, “Where were you? Where have you been? I tried to stop the Federation as Gelia burned… I nearly killed myself to protect countless lives on that planet, and I failed! Yes, I have destroyed numerous ships… butchered so many of the Federation- and even the pirates,” she paused, gesturing to those around her, “Enslaving Eskarii on Iriath IV, I tortured and butchered them all to free the Eskarii. I’ve done many terrible things to protect the innocent…”

Crimson tears rolled down her cheeks, “I was a slave, murdered fellow prisoners… guards…” She paused realizing her thoughts had become scattered by the guilt she now wore on her sleeve, “Every time I fail, innocent die, countless innocent. Can you bear that weight? Gelia, Comos, Inxatia III, Prodathos… all worlds that the Federation has burned to the ground-can you feel those deaths!”

Morrigan stepped up to Aria, pressing her chest against the barrel of her pistol as she watched Aria's eyes widen in horror, “Every decision I make puts lives at risk… if you can bear the weight of every single life in this galaxy then pull the trigger!”

Morrigan waited a moment holding Aria's gaze as she felt the barrel of the gun tremble against her sternum before taking a step back, “That’s what I thought…” she stated before stepping further away, feeling her anxiety was wax and wane chaotically as everything she held deep in her core begin to spill out.

“Even I don’t know what the hell Solomon was thinking!” she stated turning around, “I'm the last person who should lead, yet here I am, doing my best. You think I want this… this war? This endless cycle of death?”

Morrigan looked around, blind to everyone surrounding her, “I don’t want to destroy the Earth, but this war isn't going to fucking stop. The Federation isn't going to stop- Amaranthe, is never going to stop until they're fucking made to stop! I mean… war? I'm fucking pregnant for fucks sake! You really think I want any of this!”

She couldn't see it, but everyone within the room lost their breath at her tirade, Aria even lowering her pistol slightly as she continued, “And the longer this goes on the more it crushes me! I can't bear this forever and-and… I fucking pray that killing that lunatic will end this war… that this bloodshed ceases… because they’ll never be satisfied as long as that fucker remains in command of the Federation!

Morrigan waved her arms in defeat, the steam of her tirade dying out as her self-coerced confession came to its end, “But I could be wrong, I could be so wrong and I can’t risk being wrong!” Morrigan shouted as she began to pace in a small circle.

“If I'm wrong then everyone dies; you, me, the Marmuro'k, the Eskarii, the CoU-Everyone! The Federation can not win, they can not continue and if I'm wrong then something else is needed to stop them…”

Morrigan paused, feeling the sudden release of pressure and anxiety that threatened to strangle her. She looked at Aria again, seeing the clear loss for words across her face, the look of uncertainty. Morrigan took a deep breath, collecting her final thoughts in her exhausted mind, “The Federation doesn't know fear. So I plan to make something they will fear, that's my plan… I just pray I don’t have to use it. So, if that makes me a monster, if that makes me the villian-the tyrant-the warmonger? So be it, but if you think you can do better, shoot me. Otherwise, you're all dismissed… Rylanor, get your ass to your ship.”

Morrigan was exhausted and part of her even invited the possibility of Inquisitor Tsambikos putting a bullet in her head. However, the sound of a weapon being holstered and the low murmurs buried under fading feet told her what she said had struck a chord in one way or another with all of them.

It wasn’t until the room had gone silent, the absence of everyone that had been in attendance, that the start of slow clapping and low, amused chuckling startled Morrigan.

Jerking to see who it was, Morrigan's breath got stuck within her lungs. Nora stood merely 20 feet from her, nearly doubled over as she laughed and clapped.

“That was amazing, precious!” Nora mused before strutting over to her joyously, “And that was a good one! I never expected you to try using the pregnant card! I did not see that coming.” Nora giggled as she looked around the empty room for a moment to see if anyone had remained near to listen.

Morrigan sighed, hanging her head in pure defeat. She didn't have the strength to carry on… and to her, it appeared time to come clean. “It wasn't a lie…” she muttered.

Nora paused mid step as she processed her low words before blowing a raspberry and laughing, “Right! As if you let any guy touch you!” However, Nora's laughter quickly died as she looked at the serious, exhausted look in Morrigan's eyes. Nora quickly took the last remaining steps and cocked her head to the side in disbelief, looking Morrigan up and down as if trying to find any proof.

“Wait… you're serious?” Nora asked, her voice cracking slightly.

Morrigan bit her lip and took a deep breath, nodding and averting her eyes, not able to bring herself to make eye contact.

Morrigan braced herself, waiting for some sort of retaliation. She expected Nora to yell at her, possibly even try and hit her, and she would've let her. What she didn't expect was Nora to grab her by the arms and pull her into the tightest embrace, laughing wildly as if on the verge of tears before she pushed her to arms length, smiling her brightest smile.

“Holy shit! Do you know what this means?” Nora asked. Morrigan couldn't keep her face from contorting into confused disbelief and considering that the news may have pushed Nora over the edge given the way Nora smiled joyously.

“It means I'm going to be a mom!” Nora stated, gently shaking her lover before turning towards the empty space and cheering, “I'm going to be the most bad ass mom!”

Morrigan's eyes widened, her lover's elation baffling her. It wasn't until Nora paused her childish dancing that Morrigan realized the final dot had been connected.

“Wait…” Nora slowly turned to her, “But who? I mean, no one has been able to get close to you?”

It pained Morrigan to see the deep seeded bewilderment on Nora's face. She couldn't decide what felt worse, the look on her lover's face, or the compulsory need to lie poorly. Morrigan bit her lip again, swaying almost sheepishly, “Would you believe it was Sigurd?”

Nora sputtered a raspberry, a mild smirk cracking across her face as she stepped closer and crossed her arms, “Yeah, I mean it would make sense since I guess he was able to touch you but we both know Sigurd couldn't have kids. I mean, that definitely would explain why you were so upset…” However, despite Nora amusing herself with her mild joke, Morrigan couldn't do anything but sigh in defeat knowing that it was stupid to even suggest it.

“But really though, no one has been able to touch you let alone be near you except…” Nora paused. Her eyes darted side to side as if she were searching her memory and a look of realization upon her face that made Morrigan wince. “No?”

Morrigan sighed, hanging her head and nodded, “Taylor…” However, the searing burst of anger that flared in Nora grasped her attention. She looked up to see Nora's flushed face and instinctively took a step back.

“He slept with you?” Nora demanded, her words sharp and threatening which caused panic to begin to rise in her chest. “I'm going to fucking kill him!” Nora roared, the ground beneath her feet icing over and the air surrounding them growing frigid as for the first time in their entire relationship, Nora was mad.

“Babe, please!” Morrigan pleaded only for Nora to begin storming towards the exit. “Nora stop!” Morrigan tried only to get ignored. By the time Morrigan had the cognitive thought to follow, Nora had nearly made it to the door. Luckily, she could still fly.

“Nora, you don’t understand!” Morrigan stated as she landed directly in front of the door but that didn't keep Nora from trying to get through.

“Get out of my way love, i'm going to castrate that mother fucker with an arc welder!” Nora announced aggressively as Morrigan held her back.

“You can't do that Nora, you don’t know what happened,” Morrigan stated only for Nora to back up defensively.

“What don't I know? What is there to even know?” Nora demanded, flourishing her arms wide in condescending mockery.

Morrigan scratched her forehead nervously, dreading the words she had to say, “It wasn't his fault… I didn't really give him a choice…” Nora cocked her head in confusion, putting a stop to her fury as she considered Morrigan's words. “Yes, its how it sounds,” Morrigan sighed, “I was… I couldn’t handle Sigurd's death and… I just needed to feel something other than guilt and misery.”

Nora's mouth hung open in what appeared to be disbelief, her furrowed brow acting as a cursor of shock however, after a moment, Nora shook her head, “I don’t care.”

“What?” Morrigan asked in surprise.

Nora sighed and pressed her fingers into her eyes and rubbed her face before saying, “I don’t care that you fucked him. I don’t care that he got you pregnant-actually I'm happy about that. I've been saying since the beginning I don’t care if you sleep with other people, love,” Nora explained, her tone forcefully tender to emphasize that her anger wasn't directed at Morrigan.

Nora couldn't keep her anger from her words though, “That asshole cheated on Stephanie, cheated on my sister! And I'm going to kill him for that!”

Nora saw the dumbfounded expression on her lover's face and took the opportunity to try and push passed but Morrigan grabbed her again, “No, no, no,” Morrigan panicked and moved in front of Nora, “I feel terrible for what I did and I don't want to ruin your sister's happiness… it was my fault, Nora.”

Nora pursed her lips, the urge to yell rising as she took a step back raised her hands behind her head as she paced. “Nora… I forced myself on him. Its bad enough I’m pregnant but they're happy together and I'm not willing to ruin what they have over my decision!” Morrigan pleaded, truly not wishing to create any further problems within her ranks.

Nora shook her head however, her silence was daunting as she paced back and forth for a moment before taking a deep, calming breath. “Fine,” she stated, “I won’t kill him, but we have to tell Stephanie, she deserves to know… does he know?”

Morrigan deflated. It wasn't what she wanted, she wanted the revelation to be buried forever. She nodded though, listening to Nora suck in a breath through gritted teeth. “Just not right now…” Morrigan pleaded, “There’s enough to worry about… we can tell her but things need to be calmer…”

Nora shook her head though, “No,” she bit out grabbing Morrigan by the arm, “We're telling her now.”