Summary: Two years after the events of Enlighten My Darkness, Meliodas and Elizabeth still face the consequences for their choices, as well as the ghost of their greatest adversary.

A/N: One year ago, my very dear friend BettyBest2 began publishing a story that became one of the most beloved fanfics in the NNT fandom. I had the great honor of being the beta for her story, and to this day it still leaves me as thrilled and as breathless as when I read the first draft. Words cannot express how much I enjoyed watching BettyBest2 craft this story, how proud I am of her incredible work, and how I am still so overwhelmed by how wonderful it is.

To celebrate I wrote this oneshot (split into two parts) about what I imagine could be happening after the end of Enlighten My Darkness. Please, go and leave BettyBest2 a review or a message after reading this and with what you thought about her amazing fic. I only hope that she enjoys this as much as I enjoyed writing it.

Much thanks also to BaconWaffle2016, who was immensely helpful in providing feedback for this story. She has written her own fic to celebrate EMD that I had the great pleasure of reading, so please go check that out as well!

ALSO I must thank Woundedowl who was so generous to let me use her fan art as the cover for this fic. Her amazing work is on Tumblr under extremelypoorperson!

Elizabeth moves slowly, rocking her hips as she grips the fabric of the pillow. Beneath her, Meliodas pushes his own hips upwards, grinding against her center as her thighs tighten around his. His hands slide down her lower back to grab her backside, holding her steady as his body scrapes over hers. She groans something incomprehensible and tilts her face, deepening the kiss she shares with her husband.

Her husband. The idea is still so strange, even though it had been more than two years since they had chosen one another, had risen to be king and queen of their clans, and had united in a shaky but determined peace between the two. The demons had no official ceremony between mates, but the goddesses honored the commitment with a ceremony that was not unlike the one the humans used. Meliodas had laughed at the idea of a public display, but humored her anyway when she had quietly explained it was for them and no one else. So with her stomach swollen around their child they had held hands as they made vows to one another, only one of Elizabeth's advisors in attendance.

It had meant something to her, and it meant even more that he would give such a gift.

Now, in the house where they can be something other than a king or queen, a demon and a goddess, Elizabeth presses her hands on his shoulders and drags her lips over his jaw. "You are aggressive tonight," Meliodas laughs, pinching her playfully.

"I've missed you," she whispers as she kisses his neck. "It's been too long."

"It's been three weeks," he chuckles, but Elizabeth notes the catch in his voice as she nips under his chin.

"Too long," she insists again, and then covers his mouth with hers.

She kisses him with a growing passion, the feeling so familiar now, but no less powerful in the way it sparks desire deeply and easily. Elizabeth had meant to seduce him, now that they are together after a brief time apart; but she is finding herself getting lost to the taste of his mouth and the feeling of his heavy palms massaging her skin. His fingers slip into the panties she wears and begin to drag the fabric along the curve of her body, so with a last pull on his lips she sits up on his lap.

Looking down at him with hooded eyes, she smiles at the dark gaze he gives in return. "Stopping so soon?" he teases.

Elizabeth shakes her head and drags the straps of her slip down her shoulders, one at a time. Slowly she reveals the top curves of her breasts, and she watches in satisfaction as his eyes follow her every move. It is thrilling to know that after all this time he still looks at her the same way. He has seen her dirty from fighting, and sick from injury, and crying in pain as she pushed life into the world, and yet he still wants her.

As if reading her thoughts he sits up, one arm tight around her waist as he slides her closer. "So you're trying to seduce me?" he asks, the serious edge in his voice betraying the light joking in his smile.

"Yes," she whispers, and his other hand grasps one of her breasts.

"It's working," growls Meliodas. He tugs the fabric to the side, exposing her body to his hungry eyes, and then his lips wrap around the pink nipple that is taut and waiting.

Elizabeth moans with the sudden sensation. He sucks on her body slowly, pulling on her flesh, and her hands slip into his hair and tighten as the demon grunts in satisfaction.

Their passion is interrupted, however, by a sharp cry from the other end of the house. Both of them freeze for a moment, listening, and Elizabeth sucks in a breath as his hands on her hips give a squeeze.

"Just… give it a minute…" she whispers. Meliodas nods as he lets her nipple fall from his mouth. After a few more moments of quiet, he chuckles against her chest, planting a wet kiss between her breasts.

"That was close," he laughs, and Elizabeth strokes the back of his neck as their smiling gazes meet… but then another cry, stronger and louder this time, causes them both to deflate.

"I'll get it," he mutters, and Elizabeth climbs off of his lap with a sigh. She straightens her clothing as she scoots up the bed and leans back on the pillows. The sound of Meliodas walking through the house is drowned out by a sustained wail; but a moment later the crying lessons in intensity, and she smiles to herself.

Two minutes later he returns with a bundle in his arms. His expression is half annoyance and half worry as he walks around the bed to where she waits, her arms raised up. "Not sure what it is," he sighs as he bends over her.

"I think it's the teeth," Elizabeth replies softly, and then smiles down at the whimpering baby deposited into her arms. The little girl with green eyes and dark hair instantly snuggles against her chest, and she hoists her daughter up so her head is against her shoulder. Elizabeth rubs a hand soothingly along her back and kisses her temple, and then feels the faint warmth as her healing powers extend through the embrace.

Immediately the baby settles, one hand curling around the strap of her slip. Elizabeth hums a little bit as she pats the baby's back. She is just a bit over a year old, and wistfully the goddess thinks about when little Isobel was first born and fit so nicely in her arms. Now the girl is grown enough to cover her lap.

Meliodas pulls the blanket up as he climbs into the bed, stretching out next to them. "Maybe one day we won't be interrupted," he sighs, eyeing her.

"It will come soon enough," Elizabeth answers. She smiles at the demon next to her, and slides down the mattress. Rolling over to face him, she lays Isobel between them, laughing when the girl turns away from her to snuggle against her father. Meliodas huffs a bit as Isobel lays her head on his chest, but he wraps an arm around the girl and pulls her closer, planting a kiss on the top of her head.

Elizabeth snuggles into her pillow, watching. It is a scene that she still could not believe sometimes, a scene that was still dangerous despite their positions and powers. They are the king and queen of their clans, the leaders of the two most powerful races in Britannia. Their people now experience an uneasy peace between them because of the union of their rulers, but many are not content with that. Both had to handle dissent from within their realms over the past year, and the peace grew even more complicated with the birth of their daughter.

But now all that feels very far away as she watches Meliodas and Isobel lay together in the quiet darkness.

The bed is empty when Elizabeth opens her eyes. It's so quiet and peaceful that she is almost reluctant to leave the comfort of her pillow, so for several minutes she just breathes in the air of the morning. In the Celestial Realm, her mornings are busy preparing for the day, listening to her advisors debriefing her, looking over her agenda, squeezing in breakfast and a quick moment with Isobel before heading to the first of a dozen things that wait her attention.

But here, in this house, she can stretch her tired limbs and enjoy her own thoughts. She laughs to herself when she remembers the night before; even the king and queen of demons and goddesses must give way to the needs of a toddler. She makes a mental note to devote some extra attention to the girl today, and use a bit of her healing when rocking her that night. That way she can guarantee some uninterrupted time with Meliodas.

Eager to start the new day all of a sudden, she jumps from the bed and pulls a robe over her slip. This is another luxury of the house they share: privacy. No servants or attendants or officers of the court standing around, watching, waiting. It is just their little family, and nothing but time.

She finds him sitting in the family room on the ledge below the large front window. Meliodas turns and smiles at her as she enters, Isobel asleep in his arms. Quietly Elizabeth crosses the room and kisses his forehead, then scoops up the girl and lays her gently down on the soft cushion of the baby pen. Then she returns to Meliodas and sits in his lap, perching on one knee as his arms go around her waist.

"How long have you been awake?" she whispers, tucking a strand of his wild hair back.

"Not long," he murmurs in reply. He nuzzles his face against her chest, brushing his cheek on the swell of her breast. "I gave the little monster some milk and she fell back to sleep."

Elizabeth giggles, her hands rubbing up and down his arms. "Thank you for letting me sleep."

There is a soft moment that passes between them, and then Meliodas says quietly, "I wanted to give you the time while I still could."

The words land on her heavily, but she struggles to keep her voice light when she asks, "What do you mean?"

Meliodas tightens his arms, holding her against him. "I'm heading back. I said I'd be there in an hour."

"No," she moans, pressing her forehead against his. "We're supposed to have three days."

"I'm sorry." His lips press on hers, and Elizabeth huffs out a breath, not moving. "I know, I'm sorry," he says again, kissing her mouth again and again.

Finally Elizabeth relents and returns the kiss. With a sigh of relief he holds her closely, their lips gentle and slow, neither making a sound, until finally they pull apart.

The green eyes she knows so well stare into hers. "It won't be as long this time. It's a small uprising, it will be easy to stop. They want to be heard, they don't want to fight, especially against the Commandments. It's just—"

He stops abruptly, his eyes dropping as his lips press together. "It's your hybrid daughter," Elizabeth finishes through the lump in her throat.

"I don't care what they say." His voice is fierce and insistent, his hands clutching at her tightly. "It's just an excuse. They are angry over the changes, and Isobel is what they are rallying behind."

"We knew this wouldn't be easy," Elizabeth whispers. She brushes her fingertips on his cheek, and feels Meliodas relax a bit, the tension in his shoulders and jaw easing. "We can do this, I know we can. I can face down both of our kingdoms, but we have to do it… together."

Meliodas shakes his head. "It's too dangerous. You're too important, and I can't stop them and keep the realm under control and protect the both of you. And if something happened to the goddess queen and the heir to your realm—"

"We don't know if she's more goddess than demon yet," Elizabeth admonishes him lightly, giving his earlobe a tug.

His smile settles her nerves, as well as the kiss he places on her cheek. "Regardless," he continues, "you're too important. This whole arrangement is too important."

His plea makes sense, and Elizabeth knows he is right. But being apart again, especially when she knows he is fighting for her and their daughter and their existence as a family, is a heavy burden.

But a burden she must carry. So Elizabeth kisses him again, and they hold each other a bit longer, while they still can.

A week goes by with only a passing word from Meliodas, and Elizabeth is growing anxious. Her days are filled with her duties and her daughter, but at night when she lays in her bed the loneliness is more poignant than ever. Just a single message had come: the pocket of resistance was not what he had expected, and he would send word when it was over. She had cursed him then, when she was finally alone. Damn that demon for such a cryptic message.

The worrying is taking its toll, and she finds herself impatient with everyone, and especially herself. Which is why when Gelda arrives unannounced, the goddesses welcome her a bit warmer than they had in the past, and refrain from saying anything impertinent about the unusual friendship.

The two greet each other excitedly, and Elizabeth exclaims over Zaneta, nearly two years old. She has the same dark hair as Isobel, and striking blue eyes, although they are more crystal like Gelda's, as opposed to the rich jewel tone of the queen's. The little ones are left to play outside under the watchful eye of the nannies, and the two friends retire to a table on a patio a bit away, close enough to watch but far enough to be out of earshot.

"You're looking well," Elizabeth says, eyeing the very noticeable bump under the vampire's dress.

"I am well," Gelda smiles, rubbing her hand on the protruding stomach. "It's much easier this time."

Elizabeth snorts into her tea. "I imagine so," she laughs, and Gelda chuckles softly.

Neither had had an easy time of it coming into their positions and their relationships, and the bond of shared experience and pain has made them close. They can speak freely about what had happened and about the family they now share, which is why Gelda asks very pointedly, "Is the king keeping you in the dark about the demon realm again?"

"Not in the dark, no," she sighs in answer. She thinks of the cryptic message in the drawer of her bedside table. "But he's not being as forthcoming as he could be, I'm sure."

"The both of them are a pair," Gelda mutters. She blows on the hot teacup before taking a sip, then sighs heavily. "The tea in the demon realm is just awful. I love coming here."

Elizabeth laughs again as she replaces her cup, but it dies away as Gelda looks at her with a guarded expression. "Have you heard about the latest problems?"

Swallowing, Elizabeth answers, "Just that it is more dissenters. Demons unhappy with Meliodas' rule, and with… with…"

"With having a half-breed as the heir," Gelda finishes.

The goddess blushes, an uncomfortable heat building in the back of her throat. "Yes," she sighs. "Being mixed among the clans is still offensive to so many. You would think the child of the king and queen would change their minds, but no. If anything, I fear we have stirred up worse."

Elizabeth closes her eyes briefly, feeling the sting of the truth being said aloud. It is painful to know that others were suffering for her choice, but had it really been a choice at all? How could she have chosen to love Meliodas, and he to love her? It just was, it just happened, when neither had been looking for it or expecting it.

Her eyes drift over to where the two dark-haired girls are having a tea party that mimics their own. She smiles sadly, wondering how anyone could hate a child created in love, or think so cruelly of children who were given no choice in their heritage. It is a shame that had been borne by countless others for centuries, and had led to corrupting Veronica into something that would inflict horrors on others. She had hoped that having the child of the chosen leaders of the clans would end the taboo once and for all. How very naive she had been.

"I don't think that's it, actually," Gelda says carefully.

Elizabeth snaps back from her thoughts and looks back at her friend. "What do you mean?"

"I don't know if it's as simple as not wanting a part-goddess as heir, or even a female," she muses. "The demons are not afraid of such a thing. After all, this has been going on for centuries. But you and the king? That is new."

"Meliodas said something similar," nods Elizabeth. "That it was change they were opposing, not Isobel."

Gelda shifts and leans back in her chair. "You must remember," she explains, "until Meliodas, the king had ruled for centuries. His women were beneath him—everyone was beneath him. The idea of him having a mate that was an equal was ridiculous, and the clan followed."

"But why do they hate it?" Elizabeth asks. "It's not as if I'm trying to rule them."

"It's the change you bring. It's the peace between the clans, it's the diplomacy, it's the way their prince is no longer insatiable." Gelda laughs as she rubs her stomach again. "Their king speaks instead of fights, he loves a goddess, he is a father. Do you know how remarkable that is?"

Elizabeth cannot help the small smile that forms on her lips. "I suppose I wish they weren't so violent," she admits. "My own clan was not fully accepting at first either, but there was not this rage that seems to come from the demons."

Gelda tilts her head. "The goddesses do not fight with weapons but with words. Many spoke against you, did they not? They argued after Isobel was born? It may not have been physical, but it was still violent."

The goddess looks at her in surprise. Gelda's eyes go wide and she stammers, "I'm sorry! That… I didn't mean that!"

"It's fine," Elizabeth assures her, swallowing thickly. "It's the truth, and I needed to hear it. Even I must remember that goddesses and demons may be different, but we are also the same."

A shriek of laughter draws the attention of them both. Turning together, they laugh as the girls are running on the grass, being chased by the nanny. Then the girls turn and tackle the young woman, who makes a show of falling to the ground as the two princesses laugh and climb over her.

"Gelda," asks Elizabeth suddenly, "what do the vampires think? Are they accepting of Zaneta, and her mixed blood?"

She looks over when no answer comes to find Gelda once more patting her stomach. She smiles broadly as she continues to watch the girls, and when she finally speaks, the pleasant tone in her voice sounds strange. "I don't care what the vampires think," she says. "They abandoned me in my greatest time of need. I never want to see Edinburgh again."

Elizabeth frowns. "But your family? Your father? After all, you are the heir, and so is Zaneta."

"You are my family," Gelda answers. "Zeldris and Zaneta are my life."

Deciding not to push, Elizabeth changes the subject. "I need to do something," she sighs. "I can't stand not knowing what's going on, and I cannot take being apart from him so much. It's as you said, we are a family. I hate how difficult this is."

"Why don't you go to him?" Gelda suggests.

Elizabeth huffs a laugh. "I can't just stroll into the demon realm and…"

Two sets of blue eyes meet, and Gelda grins.