This was actually written March 9th, but takes place in April, so it's marked for April. I figure the last woman to realize she was pregnant would have caught on round the end of March, so a week from the end of April seemed appropriate.
Serena was taking care of Sigefrid's club, who had fallen ill around the same time. Despite some of the men's dislike of her clingy, needy personality, the fact that she couldn't get sick was her saving grace. She cooked, kept the safehouse clean, and did the men's laundry in ordinary circumstances. Now she was feeding them soup with fresh meat and vegetables, practically by the gallon. She had added sponge-bathing them to her list of duties and was doing their laundry far more frequently, with the help of her husband's consort, Faustus, who stepped in with magic when tasks got overwhelming. Faustus had warmed significantly toward Serena since she'd cleared him to sleep with Lucifer, not that Serena had been the one holding him back in the first place.
Serena had taken it upon herself to take care of all the men across three charters. But she paid special attention to the president, Sigefrid, who was her lover. And she may have also shown preferential treatment towards her friends Dagfinn (technically Sebastian's friend) and Dany (whom Serena had been attracted to before she'd met Sigefrid). She would have been preferential towards Bloodhair as well, but she was still sore with him for being unkind to her on his ex's behalf. But that was not to say she treated any of the boys poorly. She showed her deep adoration for Sigefrid by taking her caregiving role seriously. She'd come to see Sigefrid's men as an extension of him: All must be kept safe, fed, and clean, in as close to fighting shape as possible. Serena would get her own men-- extensions of herself-- to help, but they had their hands full taking care of the 30 mothers of Sebastian's burgeoning young. Adding a group of flu-stricken bikers to the list of people they needed to help would have been asking too much.
The women had begun to see each other as a community. Living in the same complex helped. Those who had shared Sebastian with the same lover were closest as they lived side-by-side and had that lover as a caretaker. Luci, of course, had declined caretaking duties and sent Xander-- who had not participated in any of those threesomes-- in his place. As the women grew closer, the strong better able to take care of those with more complications, it took weight off the shoulders of those assigned to see to them. Replacing that weight with yet more of Serena's... whatever they were was, again, too much even for Serena to ask.
Yet most of her partners loved Serena enough to help her take care of the bikers anyway. Nathaniel made vitamin-rich smoothies. Trent had the scarves Sebastian had made for him over the years sewn into blankets. Helena persuaded Freya to provide herbal remedies to ease the bikers' symptoms. Freya was with child herself; Faustus was responsible for taking care of her along with his own share of Sebastian's flings. He called upon his friend Dorian to help with his share, though, and Dorian did feel some measure of responsibility towards Freya.
Luci had been asked to cure the bikers' flu. He'd flatly refused, since Serena already over-used the healing ability he'd given her via the feather implanted along her spine. Serena disliked asking him for favors, and he disliked turning them down, yet his siblings had begun to grumble about Serena's use of divinity that did not rightfully belong to her. He was, he explained, protecting her. She didn't like the situation, but she accepted it. So Luci helped by keeping liquor and medicine stocked.
Trent had used to take care of Sebastian back when they were boys together, back when Sebastian could still get sick. Trent was patient, nurturing, and sweet-natured. He had once volunteered to take care of all 30 of the women who'd fallen pregnant. He had amazing fortitude for a regular human, and these qualities made him lovable. Yet Trent had once threatened Erik because he didn't like how some of the bikers were treating Serena, and was subsequently banned from their safehouse. He was in no great hurry to help the club, but he'd do just about anything for Serena.
Serena convinced Dany and Sigefrid to share a bed and let her snuggle up between them. She knew they both suffered from night terrors. When she felt alone, so did she. This way, the three of them kept each other comforted.
The boys were a little on-edge when Xander came around. They refused to invite him in, so Serena met him outside for feedings. Sometimes he held her a little longer than strictly necessary-- making up for lost time-- and she never complained. She loved him just as much as she loved Sigefrid. She remembered back when she and Xander had met. They hadn't gotten along at first. They'd each called the other out on the loneliness that drove their unpleasant habits. But they'd come to feel affection for each other over time, and the moment Serena's blood had touched Xander's lips, it was clear she'd been born to feed him, to love him, to be his human forever. He was possessive of her, and he and Sigefrid were mutually jealous of each other, but there was a tense sort of understanding between them.
With so many people to love and care for, Serena sometimes felt she had the world on a string. She loved having men to pamper and snuggle with. So what if she was a needy mess? She was unendingly giving, and she'd do anything for those she loved. The lucky ones would see that and appreciate her loyalty, clinginess or no. Those lucky ones would have her love and the benefits that came with it for the rest of their lives.
