Isabella

Oliver cried whenever he looked at her. It had been a few days and the worst of the bruising and swelling had gone down but the red marks on my neck were still present. Tomas hadn't damaged her face and the new scarf would cover up the bruising on her neck well enough for the visit to her sisters.

The Queens had finally deigned to reply. Isabella couldn't say that she wasn't relieved but she had just wished it wasn't when she was limping around like a damn fool. The walk over to her sisters was blissfully quiet. Oliver was staying with his grandmother while she met up with the fae messenger.

She knew it was her fault; not getting pregnant. Isabella had been taking little care of herself, eating less and less and.... And Mrs Mandray was right. For a while she was taking a contraceptive tea, she hadn't been ready for a baby and didn't want to face that discussion with Tomas.

Though she knew it wasn't Tomas who decided. It's why she could never fully blame, never hate him for the bruises. If only he could just escape his father's claws. Then they would have a chance.

For a moment she had thought about leaving Tomas, then cursed herself for being so foolish. He had been devastated when he woke the next day and saw the damage. He lost control, he had never meant to hurt her so much. If his bastard of a father hadn't poisoned his mind with lies then none of this would have happened.

But it was nice having Tomas dote on her these past days. He made breakfast (her favourite - pancakes and berries), did the laundry (the bedsheets and clothing) and played with Ollie (A silly little game of knights and monsters).

Isabella did her best to hide her limp, fixing her scarf and shawl against the winter breeze before knocking on the dark oak doors of her sisters' manor. Mrs Lawrent scowled when she opened the door before a familiar look of pity crossed her face. It was the same look Mrs Cromwell had given her yesterday.

Neither of them spoke. The housekeeper just opened the door wider before closing it against the howling wind. It was only once Isabella had left her cloak on the rack and found her sequestered in a library that Mrs Lawrent finally spoke. A promise of tea to fend off the cold. Isabella made no comment when she recognised the flavour as one she gave patients in pain.

Eventually she was left in peace with promises of her summoning her twin. The thought of Nesta's reaction has her straightening up. Her sister wouldn't understand. She would jump to conclusions and place sole blame on Tomas. Isabella wasn't foolish. She knew Tomas had been wrong to hit her, she knew that wasn't love but she also knew he did love her. That she loved him and it was just this twisted situation that poisoned them over time.

A quick glance in the mirror above the mantle had Isabella's hair and scarf plucked and moved to strategically hide the worst of the bruising. She had been shoved into one of the head height cupboards that had collapsed under her weight. So that would be her a lie. Isabella prayed that it would be more believable since it was partly true.

Except all thoughts of lies and deceit slipped from her mind when a beaming Cassian entered the room. For a moment the breath rushed out of her lungs when he loped towards her, package in hand and a proud smile on his face. A smile that dropped the second he caught sight of her.

A heartbeat later Cassian was cradling her face, his rough hands warm against her frozen skin as he tilted her head side to side. Isabella just stared at him. Taking in the furrowed brows, tight lips and furious gaze. She expected herself to be frightened or maybe repulsed by another man- male's touch but she was't.

Something that had been agitated in her soul since Tomas raised a hand to her settled. Soothed by the male who gently led her to the sofa where the package was discarded. Once he had seen that she was bundled away carefully in layers of blankets Cassian finally stopped fussing.

She didn't know where her twin had gone, only the vague recollection of reheating the tea and leaving them in peace. Part of her wondered at this new found trust between the pair. The other couldn't care less now that she was the sole object of Cassian's attentions.

"Where's Oliver." The words were no more than a gentle murmur, the same voice she used when Ollie had a nightmare or the horse spooked. She hadn't expected him to ask that. She had expected endless questions, insults and threats. Isabella didn't know what she had expected from Cassian but she was both pleasantly surprised and unsurprised by his instinctive care for her son.

"With his grandmother." And his father. The unspoken words felt like a guilty confession, a failure on her part but Cassian only nodded. "Shall I go get him for you?"

She tilted her head in confusion and Cassian forced a smile.

"So you can both spend the night here." That she had expected. The impulsive need everyone seemed to have to get her away from Tomas and the rest of the family. Slowly she shook her head and a crease appeared between Cassian's brows. "Are you sure? I can send for Azriel to get him, if you don't want to be alone."

If you want the security of male company. The protection offered. She wanted to scoff and laugh at the misogyny but in this moment she really appreciated the offer of safety.

"He is fine with his grandmother." She would never hurt Oliver and though the adult Mandrays were cruel to her they would never sink to hitting a child. "I brought a letter from the Queens."

"Later." He whispers, crouching down before her and fiddling with the blankets so they cover her feet as well. "Tell me what happened."

"I fell into the kitchen cabinet, it broke and crushed me." The words were so quiet that she doubted he would be able to hear them without his fae hearing. Something seemed to break in Cassian's eyes. A deep sadness tugging down his lips and in her somewhat exhausted state Isabella fought the urge to poke and tug his lips back into that smile she adored.

He waited. Continuing to stare at her and fussing with blankets until he eventually settled for just rest his hand on her curled up leg. She shivered at the contact, feet curling where they tucked beneath her bum. Cassian seemed to misreading the move, rage mounting his eyes as he shifted his body back to give her more space.

The gesture was so sweet and Isabella was so tired of pretending to be fine that she eventually murmured. "Tomas and I had a fight." She ignored the way every muscle seemed to tense in his body. "It was silly and stupid but we were shouting and waving our arms about and I stumbled backwards. Tomas tried to catch me, he managed to grab my wrist but it was too late." Her lips twitch into a smile that feels alien to her emotions. "I always complained that the cupboard was rotting."

"You could leave him."

"I love my husband."

Isabella winced at how quickly she said those words. The conviction in them felt more like she was convincing herself than Cassian but the male only clenched his jaw. For a moment Isabella had forgotten what he said but now she was registering his suggestion she paused.

Could she leave him?

"Nesta would have you here in a heartbeat." Cassian whispers. Embarrassment, shame and rage all swirl in one at the thought of her sister discussing her relationship with Cassian. The male seems to instinctively know what she's thinking because he bitterly comments, "She won't say anything but I see the look in her eyes. She doubts him- hates him more like. Nesta loves you more than she hates him though so she holds her tongue... for once."

His attempt at humour does little to lighten her mood but she feels her lips involuntary twitch and from Cassian's triumphant smile he takes that as a win.

"Or I could take you to Velaris." He swallows and Isabella watches how his throat bobs with words uttered. "Take you and Oliver to Windheaven, the place I told you about."

Oliver. The name clangs through her mind and she closes her eyes for a second, taking in all the new information before opening them again. Oliver, her half fae son. She had made no move to contact his father beyond the glamour ring he offered them but Isabella knew that he loved them. Not romantically anymore, they had both been looking for an escape but he had told her of Pyrithian.

The family life she could have there.

With both Cassian and him offering her a place among the fae she would have a choice at least and a backup should things-

"Izzy?" She jolts back to the present at the sound of Cassian's concerned voice. Oh sweet hells what had she been thinking. Leaving Tomas? Moving to Pyrithian? "I think I'm going to be sick."

Cassian moves faster than Isabella can hunch over. An empty vase is quickly thrust before her just in time for Isabella to lose all the food in her stomach. Tears drip down her face as she practically cradles the vase in her arms, hunching over as her stomach convulses. Soft murmurs grace her ears and Cassian pulls back her hair.

"It's alright, it's going to be okay." It's only the soft weight of his hand on her back that hinders the overwhelming panic. "Shhhh... it's okay sweetheart."

That's okay sweetheart

I'm sure one day that we'll have the family you've always wanted.

"I'm fine." Her voice is weak and feeble to her own ears but the thought of Tomas and Oliver waiting for her at home while she sits there thinking about leaving with Cassian has her stomach rolling all over again. "I- I need to go home now. Here's your letter."

She rises on unsteady feet and Cassian is there ready to catch her as she trembles. She vaguely registers his pleas. Urges to sit and wait for Nesta to return but the roaring in her head has already begun to clear and reality sets back in.

Tomas loved her and she loved him. They had their troubles but they were going to work through it. Isabella thrusts the letter into his hands before stumbling from the room.

"Isabella?" She ignores Elain, pressing on out into the cold and away from her.

A/N: The first meeting with the Queens is coming up, with all three batboys present in the human realm is there anything you would like to see?