"So, let me get this straight." Noor added a third sugar cube to her tea and began to stir. The small, silver spoon chimed every time it hit the side of the fine porcelain cup.

"Gabe is freaking alive, and the only reason we thought he was dead is because he asked Max to kill him so he'd be immortal. But then he got amnesia, and Max lied to you before shipping Gabe off to England to be looked after by his biggest enemy. Now that it's convenient for Max, he finally tells you the truth, but only so you'll help him take down the big, bad Wescott who apparently can cause mass catastrophes with just one word so he can make more money for the Order." She put the spoon on the table and took a big breath before continuing. "Meanwhile, you not only find out that your pregnancy's making you mortal, but that you're also having twins. Which means that's probably what ghost-Sylvana's prophecy was about and not Max and Gabe. So really, that crazy woman targeted you for nothing. Did I get all of that right?"

Across the black, lacquered dining room table, Reine didn't even look up, but continued to spread a dark, sticky substance over her toast. She took up a bite before responding. "Yup, pretty much. Want some?"

"Blech. No way." The young woman shook her head at the outstretched bread, her jet-black hair grazing her shoulders. "We'll get to how you can eat that disgusting yeast thing later, but first we need to finish this discussion because it's all kinds of soap opera drama in your world right now." Noor laughed before taking a drink, but turned serious when Reine's mood remained unchanged.

"What's going on, Rennie? I mean obviously not all of that is good news, but you just found out some pretty amazing things, right? You can get Gabe back, and you're getting a two-for-one deal in the baby department. Those should definitely be making you happier." She touched Reine's hand.

Reine forced a smile. "I know. You're right. It's just . . . things got a bit muddled along the way." She drew her hand away and buried her face in her palms. Rubbing her eyes, she fought with her emotions before looking up again.

Noor wrinkled her brows. "What do you mean? Muddled, how?"

Sitting straight up, Reine intertwined her fingers on the tabletop before addressing the befuddled girl in front of her. "Max and I had . . . a moment."

"A moment?" Noor's eyes widened. "What the heck is a moment? When? How? No, forget the how. Just the first two." She leaned forward in her chair.

"A few weeks ago back in France." Reine grimaced. She was uncomfortable having this conversation with Noor, but knew it was also unavoidable. "The night before we went to Bruges. We had dinner and then it just kind of happened-"

"Oh, Rennie. No." Noor frowned.

Reine raised her hand in protest. "Calm down, it was just a kiss. Well, actually it was quite a few kisses. And some fondling. Maybe even a bit of groping." She smiled at the recollection.

"How can you be so calm about this? Didn't I tell you to forget about Max? And now with everything you've just found out about him . . .." Noor crossed her arms and continued to scowl.

Reine shook her head. "I told you this was way before then-"

"And you're still getting all starry-eyed just thinking about it when the guy you actually picked - if you'd remember that part - is alive and totally available."

"I know, and that's why I feel so horrible!" Reine got up from the table. Walking the few steps into the kitchen, she filled a cup from the hot kettle. "I chose Gabe because - at the time - I thought I could have a somewhat normal life with him. Well, as normal as it could ever be possible for someone who doesn't age."

She dunked a tea bag into the steaming water before returning to the dining room.

"You know, even then I could tell something was off with me. I actually hoped it meant I was slowly losing my immortality. Believe it or not, that was the best outcome that I could imagine. But then all that disappeared. I lost all of you one after the other. No, you don't need to say anything." She held up a hand and shook her head, stopping Noor from objecting. "I know you were set up, and you had no other choice. Running away made me see that, and I won't ever hold it against you." She smiled at her friend, who wiped a tear from her cheek.

"But you can have all that again." Noor perked up. "He fell in love with you once, it'll happen again. Just give him a chance."

Reine sighed. "Oh, I'm not done yet. When Gabe 'died,'" she made air quotes, "I briefly considered whether I should go back to Max-"

"Rennie-"

"Noor! Don't interrupt. Just hear me through." She hushed her friend again before blowing on her hot tea. "On one hand, it made total sense. He loves me, and I knew he could protect us. I mean, we grew up together. He even courted me."

"But that was centuries ago." Noor shrugged her shoulders, discounting Reine's argument.

"Yes, it was. And maybe if I had the chance for time to dull these memories, I'd be over him by now." She sighed, put her elbow on the table, and cradled her chin in her hand. "But after five hundred years, the details of those first twenty-three years of my life unexpectedly flooded back. You can't imagine how hard it was to suddenly remember everything as if it had just happened yesterday."

Noor got up from her chair and hugged her friend from above. "Oh, sweetie. I'm so sorry you had to go through that alone."

"I think having to make the right choice all by myself actually helped me decide."

"What do you mean?" Noor let go and sat next to her.

Reine stared at tabletop as she continued the explanation. "After the initial shock of losing Gabe, I didn't let myself get emotional. I had to rely on my head and not my heart. So I went back to what I knew." She absent-mindedly drew small circles on the wooden surface with her finger. "When Max's father died, his mother was in mourning for the rest of her life. I didn't want to be that drastic, but I decided the best thing for me was to avoid Max for at least one year. That was the biggest reason I came all the way to London. I figured the distance would help, so I wouldn't call or contact him in any way. I was so glad for it when I found out I was pregnant." She smiled. "It reaffirmed that I'd made the right decision. Getting involved with Max again while having Gabe's child would've been complicated."

Noor brushed a strand of hair out of her eyes. "No doubt. Wait. How did you end up with him in France then?"

Reine blushed and bit her lip. "Uhm . . . I called him?"

"Oh, Rennie. You didn't." Noor rolled her eyes. "No, I take that back. I'm not judging. You got nostalgic for your childhood sweetheart from the time Columbus was still sailing toward the New World. Totally reasonable. Go on."

Reine pulled out a black and white photograph from the stack of papers an arm's length away. She placed it on the table and pushed it toward her friend.

"Oh, they're so cute!" Noor enthused, looking at the ultrasound picture of the twins. "Look at their little fingers and toes."

Reine was more subdued. "What else do you notice?"

"What am I looking for? You said that they're both healthy."

"See how much bigger this one is?" Reine pointed to the baby on the left.

Noor stared at the image for a few seconds in silence. "Yeah. So?"

"I don't think Dr. Katsopolous was correct in his conclusions. He blamed premature births on the mothers losing their immortality. He never even considered the alternative. I'm convinced they weren't premature at all, but rather the assumed date of conception was incorrect."

Noor covered her mouth with one hand and stifled a gasp. "Incorrect." She repeated. "As in, actually happening sooner. Is that biologically possible?"

Reine nodded. "It has to be. I'd just realized it myself a few days into our honeymoon. I never even got the chance to tell Max."

"But you died," Noor whispered, still staring at the grainy image in front of her.

"Does it matter? I can't explain the biology of immortality and that obviously exists. All I know is that when I drowned in Venice in 1498, I was pregnant with one of those babies."

"Wow. Forget what I said earlier. We're way past soap opera status. I'm thinking more like telenovela territory." Noor nervously giggled at the absurdity.

Worn down from the recent stress, Reine joined in. "That's for sure. Not too many women can say they were pregnant with their presumed-to-be dead husband's child for centuries before drinking an errant mini-bottle of gin, getting killed on the orders of said husband, and becoming mortal long enough to also get pregnant by their boyfriend before he too is killed by aforementioned husband, just to become immortal himself. Yup, that's serious telenovela shit, right there."

They laughed until their eyes watered, and it was Noor who spoke again. "So what now?"

Reine sighed. "Well, I'm pretty certain Gabe's going to eventually find out. Even if I don't tell him, someone from the Order will. Everyone's been assuming he's the father and now with Dr. Katsopolous' formal diagnosis, I'm sure Wescott is just itching for the right moment to make the revelation. Of course, I can't imagine how seriously he'd take the news. He's busy gallivanting around on a motorcycle at a million miles an hour with gorgeous immortals and becoming the exact thing he swore he'd never want to be."

"I thought Millie Singh is the only gorgeous immortal in the picture, and did you just seriously use the word gallivanting?" Noor raised an eyebrow.

Reine playfully swatted her friend's shoulder. "Stop analyzing my vocabulary and focus."

"Right. Sorry." The girl pursed her lips.

"Anyway, once Gabe knows he's going to be a father, it's just fair to tell Max, as well."

Noor held up her index finger. "Whoa. Hold up for a second. Are you sure about that?"

Reine tilted her head in confusion. "You don't agree?"

"Well, just think about it. I know Max has been a jerk and all, but he is putting himself on the line to make up for it. He's made himself seem vulnerable so he can trick the Order. If his plan works, then that'll be good for a lot of people. But you know how crazy he's about Amara." Noor turned her palms upward and shrugged her shoulders. "How do you think he'll react when you tell him that he's actually going to have a biological child?"

Reine frowned.

"That's right." Noor nodded in agreement. "He'd probably pack you up and move you to Antarctica just so you'd all be safe. We could just forget any hope of dismantling Wescott's organization then. Plus, if the wrong person finds out the truth about your babies, they'll have a real way to keep Max complacent. Right now, everyone expects you to rightfully hate him for what he did to Gabe. And that's what's keeping Wescott from wanting to use you against Max. If you two were all lovey-dovey, Wescott could easily threaten you to get Max to do anything he liked."

Reine rested her forehand in her hand. "That makes total sense. You're brilliant, Noor. I can't tell Max any of this until he's done with whatever he's doing against the Order."

The young woman yawned. "Oh, excuse me."

"No, it's late, and I'm keeping you up when you have to get to work tomorrow morning."

"Actually, I don't." Noor picked up her empty teacup and quickly disappeared into the kitchen.

"Why not?" Reine yelled after her before joining the girl at the sink with her own dishes.

"Well - don't get upset with me - but it's been so boring at the museum. I'm stuck in the basement all day cataloging things even they don't think are important for the public to ever see-"

"That's what an internship is. You have to start at the bottom," Reine interrupted.

Noor wrinkled her nose. "I know, and I really appreciate you pulling some strings to get me in, but yesterday on the ride home from Scoby Castle, Greer and I were talking and she said she could get me something better."

Reine placed her empty plate into the sink with a clank. "You're kidding, right?"

"No, but hear me out. She's a board member for one of the biggest auction houses in the world, and she can get me a position as a junior specialist in Middle Eastern art." Her eyes reflected the excitement in her voice.

"But she's also part of the Order of Westminster, and the only reason she's doing this for you is so you'd be in her debt." Reine tried to reason with her friend.

"You don't think I know that?" Noor tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. "You need to start giving me more credit, Rennie. What better way for me to redeem myself than to turn the tables on them and now be your inside man?"

Reine took a step backwards. "What?"

"You know: a mole." Noor whispered the last word. "They had me spy on you for three years. Now I can play the 'desperate, just-out-of-college kid who's naive enough to fraternize with the enemy just to get ahead' card. Meanwhile, I might luck out and find out things that even Max can't."

Reine shook her head. "No way. I won't let you get involved."

"Too bad. I don't need your permission." Noor smirked. "We're lunching with the head of recruitment tomorrow to go over the details, but it'll just be a formality. It's a done deal."