There wasn’t much to do with Valerian, except take care of him and take pictures of him. Camellia had fed and changed him, and he slept in her lap while she sat cross-legged in her bed and stared at him. She couldn’t take another picture because she thought she’d already taken enough.

Florian had brought home a camera from the AAH a week before he was born and stashed it in a drawer with a whole bunch of film. He instructed Camellia to ration it, and she was. She had perfect reason to take twenty pictures of him in the first week. He’d done twenty new things.

Camellia picked up a thick smooth pen and placed it against his palm. Valerian grabbed on to it and held it in his sleep. The pen was so light that Camellia could gently wiggle Valerian’s arm back and forth to make him wave the pen.

She laughed.

“What’s so funny?” Florian asked. He entered the room with a new stack of papers to read, not that he would get too much work done on his four weeks of leave. Still, he tried.

“Look.” Camellia pointed at Valerian.

“Where’s the camera?”

“I already took a picture of it,” Camellia said.

“I know. I saw you do it yesterday. I’m trying to make sure you conserve film. I have to buy replacements for what I take, you know.” Florian dropped the papers on his desk; then hurried over to Valerian. He smiled and stroked two fingers down Valerian’s chest and tummy.

Valerian snored.

“He sleeps so loud,” Camellia said.

Florian nodded. “Do you want me to hold him while you try to sleep?”

Camellia shook her head. “Can you just watch me while I sleep with him? I want to hug him. I’ll lay on my side and tuck him right here.” Camellia touched her chest.

She gingerly picked up Valerian, shifted onto her side, and tucked Valerian to her breast. She slipped the pen out of his hand and pushed all her hair behind her back, where it couldn’t fall on Valerian’s face and irritate him. Then she gently tucked one arm under her pillow and the other, she wrapped around Valerian.

Camellia caught Florian’s eyes. “Now, you’ll watch me, right? You won’t walk away?”

“I won’t,” Florian promised. He took a chair and placed it by the bedside. Then, he rounded the bed and grabbed papers from his nightstand. He paged through one as he made his way back.

“Florian…do you think you’ll fall asleep? We can’t both sleep if I’m going to hug him like this,” Camellia said.

“I won’t fall asleep.” Florian sat.

“I’m not supposed to be doing this. I don’t want to squash him. You’ll make sure I don’t squash him?”

Florian put a hand on Camellia’s leg and looked her in the eyes. “I promise. I will watch over you, and I won’t let anything happen. Go ahead and nap.”

Camellia laid down her head and fell asleep in an instant.

She awoke to the sound of distant voices. She lifted her head and stared around the twilight shrouded room. The golden edge of afternoon just remained, but it would sink away soon. Camellia checked Florian’s chair. He wasn’t there.

Camellia checked Valerian. He snored away but began to stir, a grimace on his face. He would want food soon.

Camellia sat up.

A shadow moved out of the room’s corner, short and petite, with a head of red hair and its own shimmer of gold.

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“Don’t worry. I’ve been watching,” Eva said.

“Eva.” Camellia picked up Valerian, as he started to make little cries of complaint. She quieted him, with a discrete offer of milk.

Eva nodded to the door. “Meladee, Rooks, Benham, and Sten are downstairs. I understand that Inez and Eder are also coming. And, of course, your husband is down there getting dinner ready.”

“Good thing he’s eating now.” Camellia gestured to Valerian.

“So, you can eat in peace?” Eva asked.

“Well yes, but also so I can show him off.” Camellia stared down at him but shielded him from view. She liked her privacy.

He had his eyes wide open, and he stared at the place where Camellia’s dark hair met her pale neck. Camellia had been led to believe that Valerian would stare lovingly into her eyes, but he cared a lot more about black and white patterns, than her grey eyes. Camellia once caught him looking at a picture of a snowy forest, black trunks against an expanse of white, instead of at her loving face. It was a touch disappointing but also terribly funny when she was the right kind of sleep deprived.

“I have brought him a present,” Eva said.

Camellia smiled. “That was nice. What is it?”

“A book. Sten and I signed it. I have chosen it as the first centerpiece in what I hope will be a long relationship with your son, as he will likely outlive you many years,” Eva said, with a touch of humor.

“I’m still around for many more years too, you know.”

Eva nodded, wearing a small smile.

“So…what happened to the Volanter vessel that popped in at the far edge of Iruedim’s space?” Camellia looked down, not at Valerian, but at her rumpled bedsheets.

“It left. The Volanter haven’t been back. Whether that has something to do with the perimeter we set up or the impracticality of shuttling in, I don’t know.” Eva glanced at Valerian. “How long does he take to eat?”

“Oh, uh…a while,” Camellia said. “I don’t mind if you go on ahead.”

Eva sat in the bedside chair. “I can wait.” She crossed her legs and stared into space.

It made Camellia smile to hear her friends nearby, voices from down below, and the soft sound of Eva, paging through her tablet.

This is my family, even if they’re often far away. Should I even give my father the chance?

Camellia and he had exchanged a few letters, as had Florian and Viorel. It wasn’t terrible, but then again, talking to Viorel had never been a big problem. It was when he was close enough to snatch thoughts out of her mind.

Camellia wasn’t sure if Pen Pal had set Viorel on the path to redemption, but it seemed a waste to let the effort fall by the wayside.

I’ll try. Anything more than that, I can’t promise.

Florian helped Camellia down the stairs. She carried Valerian in her arms, with more care than she would an ancient Groazan funeral urn. He was alive after all, and the contents of a funeral urn were not.

Camellia felt a little unsteady on her feet, but more from lack of confidence than a need to heal. Dhampirs were blessed in many ways, including fast healing, and Camellia healed faster than most. Her father was already an established vampire by the time he had her, and vampires gained power as they aged, albeit very slowly. Dhampirs could not gain power. The abilities they were born with would be their abilities for a lifetime. Camellia, being the youngest of her father’s children, had some of the better abilities. A couple of her brothers got better strength and speed. Camellia hit the jackpot with telepathy and healing.

Already, Camellia’s core muscles drew back together, and she would be back to normal in a fraction of average healing time.

Everyone crowded by the couch as Florian lowered Camellia onto it. She held Valerian so the others could see. His eyes were wide open, probably looking for those black and white patterns he loved.

“Damn. He’s cute,” Meladee said.

Benham smiled wistfully.

Sten observed Valerian, with eyes wide enough to match the child’s.

Rooks stepped forward and held out her hands. “If you don’t mind, I would like to hold him.”

“Oh, I don’t mind.” Camellia handed Valerian to Rooks.

From the way Rooks took him, Camellia could tell that Wren had held children before. Camellia herself was used to handling babies, as her sisters had many while she grew up. Though, Camellia had never handled a newborn before, and that had come as a shock to Camellia. She could tell that Rooks had handled newborns.

“So, let’s see. Looks like he got Florian’s eyes.” Rooks studied Valerian. “Definitely your hair.” Rooks glanced at Camellia. “Can’t really tell about skin tone yet, but I think he’s going to be more Florian’s shade.”

Camellia nodded. “That would be good. I’m a bit too pale for a diurnal lifestyle.”

“Is it alright if anyone else holds him?” Rooks asked.

Camellia nodded again, and Florian slipped food into her lap. They would pass Valerian around, and she would get to eat.

Rooks offered Valerian to Meladee.

Meladee shook her head and waved her hand. “I just don’t trust myself, but Benham is dying to hold him.”

Benham accepted Valerian. He held him for a while and passed him on to Sten, who gazed upon Valerian with wonder. Even Eva had a turn, and she looked at Valerian as if he held eternity in his hands. Camellia supposed he did, as someday he would serve as Eva’s only link back to Camellia.

Finally, Eva handed Valerian off to Florian, and Camellia could see all the culmination of her kept promises on Florian’s face. He had everything he wanted, and she did too.

She almost didn’t think about the person she left trapped, the victim of a broken promise.