I should so not be starting another story, but here I am! I'm trying out the VD Fandom, you guys help? Please review!

Warning: There is a miscarriage in this first chapter, just warning any one sensitive to that.

Spring, 11th Century

"Anika!" A tall blonde woman yelled, drawing her oldest daughter to a halt, "Before you go back, take this." She pressed a small cloth bag into the younger woman's hands. "And this." She dropped a necklace over the girl's head. "These always brought me health when I was with child."

The girl, Anika, smiled, holding her mother's hand. "Thank you, mother."

"I'm your mother, Anika. You don't need to thank me for me doing my job." She touched the slight swell of her daughter's stomach, "You'll learn that soon enough with this child."

Anika laughed, pressing a kiss to her mother's cheek, "I'm sure. Tell father I was here?"

The smile on her mother's face fell, "Anika, he isn't avoiding you."

Anika pursed her lips, "Yes, he is. Ever since I told everyone I'm pregnant, he's hardly said two words to me. I'm just glad he hasn't forbidden my visits."

"You're right, Anika." A chill went down her spine. Her father smiled, shocking her by pulling her into a tight embrace, "I'm terribly sorry I've been treating you this way. It's just hard for me. With your brothers lazing about our home for so long, I'd forgotten that I'd lose my daughters so soon." He cleared his throat, "It's been especially hard to come to terms with the fact that your husband isn't human."

"He loves me, Father." Anika interrupted.

He gave her a stern glare, "So you say, Anika. If he dares lay a finger on you in anger, you come straight home. His kind are dangerous. I still don't like you living there."

Anika shook her head, "He would never hurt me. We're having a child. I'll be fine."

He nodded, kissing her temple, "Yes, you will. You're like your mother, Anika. You don't let anything keep you down for long. I wish you would teach a few of your brothers that."

"They're boys, Father. You must learn to relax a little." Anika teased, brushing a kiss to his scruffy cheek. She turned away, calling back, "Give Beka my love!"

Her mother responded in kind before wrapping an arm around her husband's. He kissed her hand, "Our Anika has grown up, but she's still a child."

"She's not a child anymore, Mikhael, she's a woman." Esther chided, picking a bowl up. They came upon Two of their sons, Niklaus and Elijah play fighting, "Relax, Mikhael. Niklaus means well." Esther whispered to her husband, but it was no use.

His lip curled and he hissed, "That is precisely my problem."

Blissfully unaware of the conflict between her father and brother, Anika headed back to her home, to her husband. "Mathias?" She called, not seeing him outside waiting like he usually did when she went to visit her family.

"He's not here." Came a female voice. "I thought we could talk. Woman to woman."

"I don't think Mathias would approve." Anika said, edging back the way she had come. Mathias's mother, Kella, hated her, and nothing good ever came from an interaction they had with one another. Kella had hardly been a mother to Mathias and his sister, and was always gone. Anika didn't have any trouble with the other werewolves accepting her into the pack, but Kella wasn't exactly sane.

The other woman snarled, "I don't care what he would and would not approve of." She smiled, "I only wanted to congratulate you on my future grandchild."

Anika stilled, feeling bad for thinking so badly of her mother-in-law, "Oh. Thank you. We're very happy."

"I'm sure you're happy, little witch." Mathias' mother was behind her in an instant, her arms wrapped around to cradle Anika's stomach. Anika took in a sharp breath, "You're cementing your spell even further with this baby, aren't you? He was fighting you so you had to make him love you more."

"I don't know what you're talking about." Anika said, struggling in the woman's grasp.

"Sure you don't. You're a witch. My Mathias would never have married someone like you." Kella snapped.

"He loves me." Anika insisted because despite all odds, Mathias did, no magic involved.

Kella snarled, "Unlikely. I won't let you keep your claws in him." Kella shoved Anika to the ground, sending the girl rolling down an incline, the bag from her mother flying from her hand. She laid amongst the leaves, hearing a fight going on just above her.

She kept her eyes closed until a warm hand touched her cheek, "Ani, are you alright?"

Anika opened her eyes, flinging her arms around her husband's neck, "Mathias!"

He kissed her furiously, putting a hand on her stomach, "The baby?"'

She felt for it's energy and smiled, "Our little one is fine."

Mathias smiled back at her, peppering more kisses upon her. "I was so frightened that she'd hurt you." He sat her back on her feet, watching her closely. "Are you?"

She shook her head, "Not really, although I cut my elbow." He lifted her bleeding wound to his mouth and gave a few gentle licks, staring in her eyes the whole time. "You love doing that." She teased at the expression on his face as he watched the wound heal.

He grinned, "Only to my Triska." He'd always called her Triska because the first time they met, in the moonlight, her pale hair had looked silver.

"I love you." She whispered, kissing him.

He smiled into their kiss, "I'd rather hope so." He picked her up as if she weighed nothing and took her into their little house, readying her for bed in a flurry just so he could curl around her and listen to the heartbeats of his wife and cub.

Anika drifted off blissfully warm, using Mathias as a pillow on their thin pallet, unaware of what would greet her in the morning. "Anika, wake up."

Mathias' voice was urgent, stirring her from her sleep. "What?"

He was looking at his own hand in horror, "You're bleeding." Anika looked at the blood slick and red, shining on his hand in the first rays of early morning light, and then down at the bed. She was bleeding profusely from between her legs, he bedding around her waist was saturated in dark, red blood.

A cramp ached through her abdomen, "No." She choked out.

They both knew what the blood meant. It meant that Anika's fragile human body was losing their baby. Anika was quiet for a long time, staring at the blood in shock.

Mathias held her as the sun rose before becoming worried by her stillness. "I'm taking you to Ayana." He said, jerking her up into his arms.

With his inhuman speed, the trip to the witch's home was quick. "Ayana! We need help!"

Ayana came to the door, her hair mussed by sleep, "What in the spirit's is wrong?" She took one good look at the bloody young witch and ushered them inside, "Get her in here, quickly." As she cleaned Anika up, she mumbled to herself, "I shouldn't have gotten out of bed. I knew today was a bad one. The air has a certain smell to it, doesn't it?"

Mathias' nostrils flared, "Ayana, all I smell is my wife's blood." Ayana winced. "Why isn't she speaking?" He touched her face, "She's so quiet."

"Be sure, young werewolf, she's only in shock. The pain is just as physical as it is a pain of her soul, she needs rest." Ayana wrapped Anika in a spell warmed blanket, brushing a hand through Anika's sweaty hair. "I'm sorry, Child. The babe is gone. Would you like me to get your Mother?"

Anika was too far in shock to respond. On the other hand, Mathias was furious, he held her face in his hands, not noticing that she was staring through him, "I'll make this right, Ani. I'll make her pay."

"Mathias, no. She's your mother." Anika said quietly.

He knelt by her side, "Ani, you fell because she pushed you. She killed our child."

"It might not have been the fall." Ayana warned, "Young werewolf, many women lose children early. There's sometimes no reason. The only ones who can answer your question are the spirits, and they are remaining quiet."

Anika reached out to stroke Mathias' blonde hair, "It wasn't your mother, Mathias, it was my own weakness."

"Never." Mathias spit, "You are strong, Anika. My mother injured you. She's a threat I can't deny any more." He left just before the full moon was to rise, and an hour later, she jolted awake.

She got out of the wraps Ayana had covered her in, "Child, you need rest."

Anika shook her head, ignoring the pain, "No, something's wrong with Mathias."

It was a full moon, and usually, Anika was the only human or witch not safely tucked away. She had an extraordinary ability to keep the wolves subdued. "You're not strong enough to walk among the pack tonight. Rest!" Ayana insisted.

Anika felt very cold, her emotional state playing in her eyes, "Are you going to stop me?" Ayana had no choice but to let her go. Even as weak as the young woman was, with her emotions so wild, she had a much stronger magic than Ayana could safely combat.

Anika followed the pain. A few of the wolves crossed her path, but they could feel her instability and stayed away. Near their home, she saw two bodies. Kella was in human form despite the full moon above, and only because she had been clawed apart.

Mathias was a short distance away. Anika fell to his side. He broached a weak smile, a sort of crazy look on his face. "Triska, I did it. She'll never hurt you again." That was when Anika noticed that he wasn't healing. She whispered his name, tears filling her eyes as she pressed her hand against the gaping wound on his chest.

Mathias took her hand off of him, holding her bloody hand in his, "Don't cry." He looked into her eyes as he struggled for his last breaths, "I love you, Ani, so much."

Her chin quivered, hinting the emotional battle waging in her heart. His body slumped against her and she sobbed out, "I love you too", over his still corpse.

She stayed with him until dawn when she heard cries from the village. Forcing herself to leave him, she walked to the village. Ayana grabbed her before she could enter the village center, "No, Child. I'm sorry about Mathias, but you don't need to see anymore death today. Just turn around. Go tend to Mathias as you should."

Anika stared wide eyed at her, "Who? Ayana, who died?"

"Henrik." Ayana said gently.

"Tell me how to bring him back." Anika demanded, "I won't lose Henrik too."

"There's no way, Child. I've already told your mother the same." Ayana told her.

Anika shook her head, "I'm stronger than my mother. You've always said that. There must be something I can do that she wouldn't be able to."

"There are two paths, Anika. One brings about a plague, the other requires the death of the one casting the spell. I will not teach either to you." Ayana insisted.

Anika placed a hand on Ayana's face, "You don't have to." Ayana cursed, feeling the memories of the spells flow into Anika. She'd forgotten about the girl's telepathic ability. Touch was how Anika saw into minds, and her hold on Ayana was strong. "Thank you." The young woman said distantly, stepping back.

"Anika, don't." Ayana pleaded.

Anika clenched her jaw, "I have to. I can't rewind time, so this is the only thing I can do. Henrik's just a boy. He didn't deserve that."

"Child, you're in pain. Wait a few days, don't be rash. These sort of spells can go terribly wrong." Ayana didn't know what else she could say. The younger witch knew the consequences of either option now.

Anika smiled, "Ayana, I refuse to wait. I lost my child, I lost my child. Spirits be damned, I'm in pain, and this is a way to end it and make something good happen." She took off running, reciting the spell as the wind rushed past her.

Ayana, old as she was, tried to run after her, "Anika! No!" She couldn't stop the girl. By the time she caught up, the girl had already flung herself over the edge of the gorge near her house. Standing on the edge, Ayana looked down sadly at the bloody, broken body with long blonde hair. Already, Anika's magic was filling the surrounding area. Ayana found a small smile of disbelief on her face, "The spell worked. She did it. Blasted girl did it." She said a prayer, "Sleep well, Child. Until we meet again."

The next chapter is done, so if you'd like to read, review! It's going to pick up just a few hours after the Pastor blew the house up.

-Jenn