It seemed Eve had barely finished nursing Autumn when she became pregnant again. "Do you want to know the sex of your baby?" the obstetrics nurse asked during one of Eve's ultrasounds.

Adam and Eve spoke in unison. "Yes!"

The nurse pointed to a spot on her monitor, swivelling it around so Eve could see. "See this? That's a femur." She moved the pad on Eve's tummy, fiddling with the controls. "Here's the other leg… and that's a hip."

Adam had learned how to decipher the blobs and swirls of an ultrasound during Eve's first pregnancy. His experience with her father two years ago compelled him to do so.

"I don't see a pee-pee," he said, squeezing his wife's hand.

The nurse pursed her lips. "Nope. I don't see one either."

Eve craned her head far forward, disturbing the image on the monitor. "Is it a girl?" she asked while trying to see for herself.

"Hold still," the nurse said kindly. "I'll take a picture for you."

The photo she produced was definitive. "It looks like a girl," Adam said, smiling down at Eve's full moon face.

She let her head fall onto her pillow. "Oh, thank God," she said, relieved.

To soothe his wife when they got home, Adam whipped up a stew with the kapamá chicken left over from last night dinner. His concern didn't fade when all she did was pick at her plate. She spent most of the time mashing orzo into bits, to see if Autumn would eat them.

"Were you able to keep this down last night?" he asked, in regards to Eve's bouts with morning sickness.

"Oh," she said with distraction while feeding their baby. "It's okay."

Soon after Eve's dad had destroyed the Paulsson farm, killing Richie and several others, the newlywed couple moved to a place far from the fields of South Dakota. Adam held great respect for his wife's instincts after that fateful night, no matter how crazy they seemed. They ended up in a small city in Indiana before she was able to relax.

"This is the wrong Delphi," she announced to Adam soon after Autumn was born.

Moving to Greece was a much harder ordeal than moving to Indiana. Adam found working in olive groves and vineyards more difficult than farming crops that were familiar to him, like corn and wheat and sorghum. This forced Eve to spent many hours alone, caring for her first baby while carrying her second.

Adam put down his fork during their dinner. "There's something wrong," he said knowingly. Eve's sigh confirmed he was right. "You're not nearly as relieved over our second baby being a girl as you were with Autumn. Are you afraid of your mom and dad?"

The fact that mountains in this part of the world kept evil in the ground greatly eased Eve's mind. There was no need to monitor mountains, as she had to do with the trees of South Dakota.

"It's not my mom," Eve shot back in defense. "Dad lied about her, you know."

"I know. I just…"

Hormones got the better of Eve. "No you don't! You don't know! How can you, when I don't know either!"

"Pumpkin. I'm trying to help. I'm sorry."

"My dad is the bad guy, okay? He killed Richie Paulsson, and those others, and hurt a bunch more."

"Yes Dear," Adam said, trying to shush her. "It's okay."

Eve sighed, feeling sorry as well. "It's not good that Dad's in the ground. That's where evil is. He should be in the sky, where he can't do harm."

Adam stared with loving eyes, concerned for the health of his wife.

"That's where the bats came from too," Eve then said, trying to sound less crazy. "Right? They came from the ground."

"Do you think there are bats here?"

"Bats are everywhere!" Eve snapped. "What, you think they only live in South Dakota?"

"No. Of course not, Love. Look, you're upset, and we're upsetting Autumn. Let's talk about it after dinner."

In bed that night, Adam massaged Eve's sore feet. He kissed her toes whenever she sighed, making her do so more often. Still, she seemed uneased, despite his attention and care.

"I'm really afraid, Crow," she confessed between sighs and kisses.

"Of what?"

"I'm afraid for our daughter. The one I have in me."

Adam took everything his wife said seriously. "Do you think she'll harm you?"

Eve nodded as tears welled. "Uh-huh. I think she'll break my heart."

Adam stopped rubbing Eve's sore feet to cuddle close to her. He rubbed her shoulders while they hugged.

"Oh, don't say that," he chided. "You're a wonderful mother. She'll love you so much."

Eve struggled hard not to cry. Her second pregnancy was turning out to be much harder than her first.

"I know! I know! I just… I don't think I'll be able to keep her! I think she'll… I don't know."

Eve broke down and sobbed.

"What, Pumpkin? You think she'll what?"

"I think I might lose her!"

Adam held Eve tight, until she stopped shaking. "Whatever happens, we'll stay strong," he said as she cried more softly. "I won't let you lose her. I'll do everything I can."

"Okay," Eve said, sounding unconvinced. "I… I want to name her though. Right now, just in case."

"Of course. That sounds great."

"Can we name her Tellus?" To Adam's silence, Eve added, "It's like, Greek or something."

"I've never heard of it. Where did you get it from?"

Eve began sobbing harder, despite her strong will. "I don't know! I just… I want her to be Tellus."

"Are you sure that's a name?"

Eve used insolence to help her stop crying. "Well of course it is! I wouldn't give a fake name to our daughter."

Adam started kissing Eve, doing so in all the right places. "Whatever you want is okay with me."

Eve kissed Adam back. "Are you sure, Crow? Is it okay?"

He looked deep into his wife's green eyes. "Pumpkinhead, I am so very proud of you, and I'm so in love with you, that you could name her Tree Bark and I wouldn't mind."

Eve hugged her husband hard enough to make him squeak. "I love you so much!" she called out, loud enough to cause Autumn to coo from her crib in the room next door.

Eve gave birth to Tellus on the Twenty-Sixth of October. As she grew, it became clear that she was different from most other children. Even as a baby, she kept to herself. She often was so quiet that Adam checked on her from time to time, to see if she was okay, or even still in her crib. She always was, and always right where she ought to be. Her behavior was perfect. She just seemed so serious.

Eve treated her different as well, almost with a reverence. She never worried about her, as Adam sometimes did, knowing her baby was perfect. Although Tellus rarely smiled, she also rarely cried.

A year had past, and Tellus had yet to say her first word. Then, while the family celebrated her first birthday with balloons, cake and a candle, Tellus spoke plain and clear.

"Mom," she said while Eve served the cake.

"Yes?" Eve replied, as if the event was a normal occurrence.

"I love you," Tellus said.

Adam could have died, his heart burst so with pride. "Did you hear that?" he cheered. "Tellus said 'I love you!'"

Eve first kissed her baby, then she kissed her husband. "Well, she does. Love me, that is."

"And I love you, too!" Adam said to his family, getting Autumn to join in on a group hug.

"I love you, Dad." Tellus said next. "I love you, Autumn, too."