June 4th, 2028~ Muggle cottage in France

Horatio sat comfortably on the couch beside his wife, Eglantine, who was carefully propped up on five pillows to help support her pregnant body. She didn't have the energy required for even the simplest of tasks, and thus Horatio was writing down what she dictated.

Eglantine had been bedridden since her eventful stroll in the gardens. Horatio had been busy tending to various paperwork and had not seen her fall. Being three months pregnant and hardly very stable on her feet anyway, she had lost her balance and simply toppled over. The doctor had made it very clear that with her stress levels as high as they were, the twins she was carrying and her nervous system damage, she was to remain off of her feet.

"That will be all for now, love." Eglantine muttered. Horatio sighed and set the paper down.
"Can I get you anything, my dear?" he asked, taking her shaking hand in his. After her miscarriage eight years before, Horatio had decided it would be best for them to not have any more children. However, fate had had other plans and now he sat worrying that he might lose his dear wife at any moment.
"No, I'm fine..." she replied.

She hardly looked as if she was carrying twins. Her belly was round and obviously pregnant, but she had not gained the weight a healthy pregnant mother of twins might. The doctor had told Horatio so and it worried him. Then again, Eglantine was far from healthy.

Rising from the couch, Horatio rearranged the blanket so that it covered most of Eglantine's lavender nightgown. He remembered that the gown was an anniversary gift, one of the first he had given to her. Tomorrow would be their 9th year as husband and wife and he already had plans to make it a memorable day for them.

He stretched as he went into the other room, his back sore from sitting in the same position. Pulling a mug from the cupboard, he began to fill it with water.

"Horatio!" He turned, forgetting about the cup of water as his wife's voice softly echoed from the living room. As her tone of voice was almost always the same, it could have been anything from her needing the pillows adjusted to the window closed. He hurried to her side nonetheless as if the world was coming to end. It was then that his heart lurched within his chest and he thought for a moment that lightning had struck him.

Eglantine's pale finger pointed down at the covers, which were already turning crimson with blood. Horatio snapped into action after what seemed like forever in a single moment. He called the doctor on his cell phone and then Kiara. If Eglantine lost the twins, he mused, panic rising in him, then he would lose Eglantine as well.

Kiara rushed into cottage as fast as her legs could carry her form the aperation points.

"Please don't let me be to late" she breathed as she came to the door and opened it.

"Horatio!?" she called from the enterence worry and fear evident in her voice.

Horatio quickly unbolted the door and opened it to allow Kiara to enter. "She's almost unconscious, Kiara." he stated, leading the way into the sitting room.
Eglantine shook violently, her fingers gripping the blanket tightly. Her eyes fluttered open and shut.
"The doctor will be here in about twenty minutes. What should we do?" He asked, in his worry and panic all thought going out the barred window.

Kiara looked intensly worried at the state Eglantine was in "I am not a doctor Horatio..." she said as she swiftly went to Eglantine's side.

"Eglantine? listen to me you need to stay awake for me alright? you must not go to sleep" she said worried if Eglantine feel asleep there was a good chance of looseing the twins and her.

Turning to Horatio she said "Horatio well have to make due until the Doctor gets here. Get hot water, blankets, towels everything" she said.

Turning back to Eglantine she said "You have got to hang in there Eglantine you hear? hang in there" she said grabing Eglantines hand.

Eglantine was faintly aware of someone speaking to her, but couldn't make out the words. She felt nothing but exhaustion. As if she had not slept in days. Her head felt light and airy and breathing was difficult. Eglantine opened her green eyes to moan softly as pain lanced up her sides. It had become a pain she was used to due to her hip, but this was slightly different.

Hurrying back with the items Kiara had told him to fetch, Horatio set everything down. "Eglantine, you need to stay awake." he murmured as well.

But Eglantine was already fading quickly and she neither heard nor felt her husband and daughter calling her and taking her hands.

Kiara breathed out in fear as she saw Eglantine fade in to unconsciousness. "No!.. we are loosing her" she said grabing on to her hand again, this time chanaleing energy to her.

"Wake up Eglantine! you fall asleep we will have no way of delivering the twins... and a C- section will kill you for sure and be of great risk to the twins.. you need to stay awake" she dabbing Eglantines face with a wet cloth.

Turning to Horatio she asked "How much longer until that doctor gets here?"

"At least another 15 minutes. Heavy traffic." Horatio replied. He dug his wand out of a locked drawer and channeled a part of his energy into Eglantine.

His energy combined with Kiara's woke Eglantine. She screamed as all of the pain hit her at once like some awful ocean wave and nearly lost consciousness.

"Kiara." she muttered softly. "Excessum...I need it."

Kiara blinked still holding tightly to her hand. "Excessum? why?" she asked looking over to Horatio, as she didn't know where it was.

Horatio looked as confused as Kiara. But he held his tongue, waiting for Eglantine's response.
"Get it." she whispered. Horatio lost no time. He darted into their bedroom and quickly unlocked the drawer that held her deadly wand. Pulling out its case, he hurried back into the sitting room. Opening the case, he set it by Eglantine so she could do with the wand what she pleased.

Eglantine weakly gripped the smooth wood, unable to even lift the wand. Its familiar power washed over her and the pain vanished. Closing her eyes, she concentrated every bit of her magical and physical power into the incantation she was mentally chanting.

A bright light blinded Horatio for a moment and there was a cracking sound as if wood had been ripped from cement. Eglantine collapsed limply against the pillows and sighed. It was then that Horatio heard the faint whimpers. Laying, still bloody on the blanket were two infants.

"Help me, Kiara." Horatio muttered, as he knelt to wipe the fluid from the first baby's mouth and nose. A wail soon proved that the boy had an excellent pair of lungs.

Giving Eglantine's hand one last squeeze she went over and picked up the second baby. Gentally clearing the airway and cleaning it off.

She summond two blankets and handed one to Horatio to wrap up the other baby.

She then looked over at Eglantine, "Eglantine?" she asked as moved to her side the new born baby boy still in her arms.

Eglantine opened her eyes. "Did it work?" she asked softly. Horatio nodded, placing a softly whimpering baby into his wife's arms. He moved two of the pillows so he could support her as she held the baby.
"Yes, love. See, our perfect little boys." he muttered. He was overjoyed that both babies had been born and appeared healthy.
"Good..." Eglantine sighed. A soft smile formed on her lips and her eyes closed. Horatio's heart stopped beating for a moment as he watched his wife's chest rise and then fall... to his total disbelief it didn't rise again.
"Eglantine!" he shouted, taking the baby from her and handing it to Kiara. "You have to stay with me." There was a faint snapping sound and Horatio wept bitter tears as Excessum cracked down its centre.

The two parts of Excessum shook and then went still. Slowly the missing half of each filled in with a lighter coloured wood and the runes faded away to be replaced with others.

Kiara cried silently as she held on to the two new borns in her arms, they had feared this would happen. She being who she was hoped it would turn out aganst the odds for Eglatine again.

Unfortunaly this time it wasn't ment to be.

Conjuring a basinet she lay both babies inside it giving them one last check over to make sure they were healthy, before she sodded silently before them.

Horatio wept for several long agonizing minutes, until the knock at the door shook him and he looked up.
Stumbling forward he opened the door. The muggle doctor stood there, looking flustered and out of breath.
"I'm so sorry." he muttered. Horatio said nothing. The blank look in his usually happy blue eyes said more than a speech. The doctor looked past him into the room, noting the two wailing infants, the limp form of Eglantine and the weeping Kiara.
"We no longer need you." Horatio muttered, closing the door in the doctor's face. He knew that even if the man had been here on time...there would have been nothing he could have done... still it helped some small bit to blame someone else.

Scooping up one of the infant's, he looked down into the wrinkled red face. "Ewan and Ean. Those are the names we picked for you..." he whispered softly.