Chapter 1

Things had been going fairly smoothly since the High King had saddled my wives and I with all of these Sidhe fosterlings.

There hadn't been any more attacks on any of us, and a few who had been our opponents before had come around to visit us and to see how we lived. Most of them went away at least neutral if not tentative allies.

But today I was more than a little excited. It was Astrid's birthday today and Maeve had spent the last week planning the festivities.

Of course with Astrid being Sidhe herself and quite capable of reading minds, the party wasn't going to be any surprise. Still, she was excited about having a party. She was about 6 months pregnant and wanted to show off to her family.

Currently I was alone in the kitchen of our apartment enjoying a quiet cup of coffee and contemplating on whether or not I had enough ambition to whip up something to tide me over until dinner.

I had just decided that my now shrinking waistline would be better off without a snack when I heard a noise behind me. I turned in my chair to see who was there, and then I felt a sharp pain in my chest.

I couldn't breathe as the pain spread down my left shoulder and arm.

I knew the symptoms of a heart attack, but without nitro pills I knew that I was in serious trouble.

I felt like someone had dropped a whale on my chest, and I started to fade out.

I heard a man's voice. "Prepare for immediate transport."

Then I fell into a deep soft darkness.

Maeve's Story

Maeve was sitting in the hot tub with Bethany and both of the Heathers. She felt a surge of pain along the link to her husband, but before she could do more than gasp, she felt the link snap.

She doubled over in agony for a long moment, and then she raised her head. Bethany and the Heathers were slumped down out cold. Looking around, Maeve saw other of her friends sprawled where they had fallen. She forced herself to move the girls in the hot tub so that they would not slip under the water and drown. Taking a few ragged breaths, Maeve climbed out of the Jacuzzi and staggered toward the stairs to the apartment that she shared with Bill as the primary couple of their group marriage.

She had to steady herself on the stair railing for a moment before she could gather enough strength to make her way up the steps and into the apartment.

When she reached the kitchen and saw Bill's body slumped forward on the table, her screams could be heard for blocks. Mercifully she fainted.

When Brian Kerry arrived a few moments later he found chaos. His daughter's fosterlings were crying and trying to rouse their foster mothers, and the staff was only just beginning to react to the realization that something was terribly wrong.

Snapping orders, Brian chivvied the staff into collecting the limp forms of he Heavenly Horde and carrying them to their respective bedrooms. He picked up Maeve and carried her into the apartment bedroom d laid her down carefully on the huge bed. After reassuring himself that his daughter was still breathing, Brian went out into the kitchen and checked on his son in law. He felt for a pulse and listened for a heartbeat.

Nothing.

Brian cursed and felt along his link to his wife. He relaxed slightly when he felt her acknowledgement and sensed that she was already on her way.

There was a soft pop behind him and he whirled to see Meiko starting to move forward with a leather satchel in her hand.

"Help me get him on the floor and onto his back," snapped Meiko, and Brian obeyed, easing the limp.form of his son in law out of the chain and stretched him out face up. Meiko knelt beside Bill and opened the satchel. She withdrew a stethoscope and listened briefly to his chest, then dropped the stethoscope and moved p beside Bill's head.

Brian watched as the Dragon bent over to begin artificial respiration. Without having to be told, Brian crossed the heels of his hands on the center of Bill's chest and began rhythmically pushing down as hard as he could. They switched places after a while, with Meiko doing the chest compressions while Brian tried to force air into Bill's lungs.

By the time Ariel arrived, Brian' and Meiko's efforts had paid off. It had taken Meiko sending a jolt of electricity through his chest, but Bill had a pulse again and he was breathing on his own, yet he remained unconscious.

Ariel went immediately to her daughter's side and checked her. Not finding anything much amiss except for a severe psychic shock, Ariel turned her attention to her unborn grandchild. To her immense relief, the baby was healthy and apparently none the worse for his mother's ordeal.