The Spiteful Crow couldn’t really complain about life right now- his past had been more than difficult than words could describe. Between his on again, off again father and his horrid mother, he hadn’t had the best psyche in the realm as a result. No, it resulted in him being a terrible brat that wanted the world for all it could provide him. He was selfish, hateful and didn’t care for anyone’s well-being but his own. It hadn’t been until he had severed the ties between with Cyprus and was brought back to Sularia that he started to recover.

As he lounged on one of the couches inside, skimming through the pages of a book, he thought about a more important aspect of his life and how it changed- Crystaline. She had been his rock ever since he fell to his lowest point. Despite her own plights, she cared more about being useful to him and bringing him out of his depression. It was by her hand that he learned compassion and selflessness enough to go to not one, but two different deities in curing her blindness. During this time, they grew closer and he was able to get her wings back. With that, they were nearly inseparable and they went through hell to get her sight finally back.

Colden loved her dearly and wanted to spend the rest of his life with her. It wasn’t something that was hidden and in fact, was obvious to all that knew the two. His older brother, for example, was very much involved in their affairs despite not having a reason to or permission for it. He would always ask them when they would have a baby of their own, something that Colden didn’t really have much thought for, but there was a side of him that made him wonder. He cherished Cinder and his other nieces and nephews and he did covet a little of what his brothers and sisters had regarding to having a little one but he wasn’t sure when he would be ready for such a life. Furthermore, he and Crystaline hadn’t exactly talked about it in a serious sense and eventually, they would have to.

Coming into the middle of the book, Colden looked around for Crystaline, who usually would come around the black court manor for him but she was late. Did Dante do something stupid again like bombard her with questions? Sighing, he placed the book down and started to head out to go and look for her, hoping for both her safety and her sanity just in case.

Crystaline had been to a regular checkup by Angela to ensure that her health was well after her sight had been restored. She went every few weeks to see the elder goddess. Angela left nothing to chance after all and the small half angel knew that everything would be in good hands as long as the Mother was the one taking care of her.

Her long white curls were half pulled back into an elegant braid while the rest flowed over her shoulders and down her back. The look on her face looked determined as she approached the Black Court. There was a deep breath but honestly, it made her look like she was about to pop from anxiety.

Finally, she made it to the doors and reached out her hand to open the large set of double doors on the manor. She hesitated if only for a few seconds but someone else had beat her to the punch as the door opened. It was Colden. “Co-Co…Colden!” She froze up immediately and the heavy look was lost on her as the color drained from her face. The small angel looked like she was going to collapse as she looked up at the love of her life.

Her fists balled up at her sides as her timid blue eyes watched his green ones. Behind him was Lotus and Eldora who were coming down the stairs to get snacks for the children who followed behind them. She heard Shiroi and Artemis cooing away and babbling. They were still so small yet compared to the troublesome twins Casimir and Corbin and the adorable Estelle. She sucked in her lip for a moment. She knew he would ask her what was wrong.

The half Rosenite began to rock on her heels and finally, there was a breath of air that was sucked in. “COLDEN!” Determined blue eyes looked back up at him. “We made a baby!” It was so awkward and her face immediately flushed.

“Wh-what?!” The sisters nearly dropped their small children as they stared in shock at the small angel.

“THAT’S RIGHT! Colden and I are having a baby!” She yelled at the top of her voice as if she couldn’t get it out any other way. “Auntie… said so.” Her face flushed red completely as she became as timid as timid could be.

The look on Lotus's face was in shock as she shoved Shiroi into Eldora's arms. "DANTE! STEELE! YOU WON'T BELIEVE THIS!" Off she went as she went to find the two brothers.

He hadn’t expected to nearly collide with Crystaline as he opened the door and went to continue on his merry way, but he was happy to see her. As usual, she looked like a goddess to him though there was something off. She wasn’t shy at all with him yet Colden could see that something was on her mind. “Come in, don’t be a stranger just standing there, Crystaline.” He gave her a warm smile and gestured to join on. He could hear his sisters behind him with their children, and even though Lotus was nosy for her own good, he didn’t pay it any mind this time.

“Hey, what’s wrong? Did something happen?” Her behavior was starting to concern Colden and he placed both hands onto her shoulders. He was taken back when she yelled his name and held a strange smile on his face when she gave him the news. Thank goodness it wasn’t anything bad…

He slowly turned to his sisters and kept that weird look on his face. “I thought she was going to reveal something awful or shocking, but it’s just a baby she’s having…” He turned back to her and kissed her forehead before the message actually reached his mind and the significance behind it.

“,,,BABY!?!”

Soon the boy found himself stuttering fanatically as he was coming to terms of what happened. “Ba…ba…ba…baby…she’s having a baby…but that means that I’m…” Suddenly his head felt woozy and the room seemed to spin as he passed out and hit the floor. Meanwhile, Dante was showing off some of the art he had paid for of Lotus, in rather interesting poses while Steele looked at him as if he truly was an idiot when Lotus came and found them. When she told them, Steele looked mildly surprised while Dante quickly grew excited. “Colden’s gonna be a lucky devil. Her bosom is already a lovely size, just think of how much they will grow…”

“Shut up you fool”, Steele said, trying to avoid having the image in his head as he made his way back to the manor and saw his youngest brother on the ground. “Guess the news was too much for him.”

“Such a drama queen”, Dante said with his hands on his hips before he starting nudging Colden with his foot. “Little brother, wake up…wake up Colden.”

After some time, he did stir and slowly his eyes opened. “Guys…I had a dream where Crystaline said she was pregnant and that meant I would be a…father.”

“It wasn’t a dream. She is with child”, Steele said bluntly and Colden rose to sit up and spotted her. “Is it true?”

For a moment there was a rather relieved look on her face. That wasn’t how she thought Colden would take it. Then slowly that smile fell and he began to devolve into a bumbling mess. Finally, Crystaline went to catch him and he hit the floor. “Oh… no.” Her face turned into a frown. “That was worse than I thought he was going to take it.”

“It’s alright Crystal you know how he can be.” Eldora patted her shoulder as the other men showed up.

There was a blush on Crystal’s face as Colden woke up and asked her about it. “Yes, Auntie Ang told me. She said that she wanted to make certain that we would stay pregnant before she told us. I’m about three months.” She twiddled her thumbs before giving him a shy smile. “It’s not like twins or anything like that if you are worried. I made sure to ask her since twins run in our family. She said we only have one little pea.”

Eldora gave a smile and looked up at Steele. “Looks like the family is safe finally… At least in the eyes of Sularia.”

The little half-angel’s face flushed once more as she thought about it. “Auntie wants us to visit her every week until she knows everything is going to be all right. Then we will go once every three weeks until we get closer to the baby being born. She said its to make sure our baby makes it. I’m sure it will because you are so strong Colden so our baby has to be too.”

She held out her hand to him so she could help him up. "Auntie also says it would be a good idea for us to get married before we announce our pregnancy. Not that it is too big of a deal in Sularia but she thinks it would be nice."

It wasn’t that Colden was disappointed by the news, it was rather that of what it would mean. He would be half responsible for a tiny life, something that made him extremely nervous. When he came to, Crystaline confirmed it and it got him to think hard about everything that would come for them. Gods, was he ready for this? Colden supposed that it didn’t really matter if they were or weren’t, for the baby was coming anyway.

“That’s not it, though it would make me all the more nervous about this. It’s more like…what if I’m not good enough? I don’t know the first thing about being a father, hell I just finally adjusted to not being the person I was before meeting you…”

“Seriously?”, Dante pouted before giving him a smack behind the head. “Don’t live in that shadow, Colden. It will only bring you ruin… “

“I’m not. My only experiences with parents were that of our father and that horrid mother of mine. Everyone else had some help to a degree in their upbringing, and I’m not sure if I’d be a fit parent.” If anything, he was afraid of poisoning their child’s mind as his mother had with him. “But I am glad that you will be the mother since you are so kind and strong-willed. I know you will be the best mother you can be”, he said with a little smile. “I will try and do everything I can to be a f…f…father, a good one at that.” Better than his own was.

He figured that they were in good hands if their Aunt was going to overlook things but in the meanwhile, he would have to keep Dante at bay- he had seen what Eldora had to suffer through and he'd be damned if Crystaline was going through the same.

“Keep your mitts off of her, you dirty pervert”, Colden told Dante, but the sniveling little half-elf was already at work as he placed his ear onto her stomach.

“Dammit.”

But then his mind was completely thrown for a loop when marriage was mentioned. He stood there dumbfounded as it seemed like in one fluid action, everything changed and it did. It seemed like the room stopped in their actions and a silence filled the air. Colden moved over to her and nodded before kissing her head. “I’d… think so too. It wouldn’t be too odd because I wouldn’t want anyone but you, Crystaline. It’s a bit of a rush, but I’d love nothing more than to have you by my side, and us having this miracle child.”