Rebirth in the Apocalypse: Third Time's a Charm

"And what was that?" asked Violence, intrigued. It was weird to see her so dressed up and yet perched on my butcherblock counter. The apple core lay next to her, changing back into an apple right in front of my eyes.

Here, death meant nothing… just a momentary pause in the cycle of rebirth.

"Use those you trust, trust those you use," I answered.

When I was first brought back into this life, it was so much different than what I was expecting. It was like going back to Canada, only knowing that shit was going to hit the fan.

No one was scared, fighting for their life with every breath they took; instead, everyone wore smiles on their faces, their true intentions hidden.

I had no idea what to do.

Looking back, I could honestly say that I had done the best that I could do back then. Telling the guys what was going to happen was a test, pure and simple. By telling them the truth, I could see their reactions. Besides, it would have been much too tiring to have to hide what was coming while prepping for it at the same time.

If they had proven that they couldn't be trusted, then that would have been the end of it. And it almost was for Wang Chao. Let's face it: Liu Wei managed to pull him out of the fire more than once with me.

"Use those you trust, trust those you use," mused Violence, pulling me out of my thoughts. "So, no regrets?"

I burst out laughing over that idea. "Absolutely none," I assured her, watching as the four stallions surrounded the mare as she daintily nibbled on the grass. No. I had no regrets.

"I am glad," she said as she stood up straight and turned to look at me. "If you have no regrets, then I have none. My time here is done. May you forever rule with both compassion and vengeance for the souls that are brought to you. May the Four Lords of the Apocalypse forever stand by your side until the very universe collapses and time and space are no more."

"Thank you, my friend," I replied, pulling her into my arms and hugging the one aspect of my personality that I could always depend on. "Rest in peace."

"I will," she responded, a smile on her face as she wrapped her arms around me. "I have worked hard and deserve some peace and quiet after all these centuries. Never forget who you are again, please, Your Majesty."

"Meh," I answered with a shrug of my shoulders. "At least if I do, you'll get to take over again."

"No. There is only one High Lord of Hell, and that is you. Leave me the fuck alone," groaned Violence right before she disappeared into thin air. My arms dropped to my side as I stared for a moment at the spot where she was before returning to the window. The last piece of the puzzle clicked into place, and I could take my first deep breath of air in a long time. The heaviness of my mind and body vanished in an instant.

"Let's go home, you two," I said with a content smile on my face, rubbing my stomach. There was a light kick in response, and I didn't know if it was because of my words or my voice, but either way, I would take it as approval. Turning my back on the scene outside of my window, I closed my eyes.

I knew without a shadow of a doubt what I was going to do next.

------

"I am so telling on you!" shouted a little girl as she ran across the meadow in front of the cabin. I looked out of the window and watched as a little girl, no older than five years, sprinted across the tall grass. Half of her body was hidden within the blades, but I was not worried about her at all. There was nothing here that could hurt her. I had made sure of that.

I washed my hands free from the light dusting of flour that covered them. I was spending the day in the kitchen while the kids played outside, making food for my family. I closed my eyes just as I heard the voice of her older brother chasing after her.

"No one likes a tattle tale," he growled, trying to catch up, but it was like she had wings on the bottom of her feet. Or wind, for that matter.

"Dad! Daddy! Papa! Father!" screamed my oldest, running as fast as her legs and her powers could carry her. "Help!"

Chen Zi Han was the first one to appear in front of her. "What's the matter, princess?" he asked, picking her up midstride. Yeah, that was the shitty part of having a daughter. I was no longer his princess. However, I would always be his Queen, so I was willing to go with the upgrade, albeit with a bit of bitching.

"He's being a jerk," she pouted, pointing to her younger brother, who had finally caught up. Chen Zi Han looked down at the little boy, a frown marring his face.

"Huang Chao," growled my giant. "What did you do?"

"I did nothing, Papa," said my son, looking down at his feet. He might be only five, but he was big for his age. There was no denying who his father was.

"He said that I needed to be protected because I am shorter than him," pouted Zhen Zhen in Chen Zi Han's arms.

"I don't see where he is wrong," said Wang Chao, materializing beside the other man. In his arms was a sleeping child, one of the quadruplets born two years ago. I seemed to keep giving birth in multiples of two. I was not the biggest fan, but the guys seemed to take great pride in the matter.

I rubbed my hands dry on the dish towel, my very pregnant belly sticking out so far that I had to waddle around everywhere. Opening the front door to our cabin in the mountains, I walked over to my family.

"Your father is right," I said to Zhen Zhen. "There is nothing wrong with being protected. Look at your dads; they always protect me, don't they?"

"Well, yeah, but that's because you always have my brothers growing inside of you," pouted my little princess. I paused as I took in her words. She wasn't wrong. It seemed like I was always pregnant.

And the poor girl was the only girl in six children.

"Just because you are protected doesn't make you weak. You are protected because you are important," I said softly, running my fingers through her black hair just as Liu Yu Zeng and Liu Wei popped in. Liu Yu Zeng was holding another sleeping child, while Liu Wei had two in his arms, both of them bright-eyed and bushy-tailed.

He gently put them down in the grass, and two small colts appeared beside them, keeping an eye on them.

Yes, it seemed that while Zhen Zhen inherited her powers from Chen Zi Han and Wang Chao, her brother was all Liu Yu Zeng and Liu Wei. On the other hand, the quads were very much going to step into their father's shoes, their horses already choosing them at the moment of their birth.

It was about as busy and hectic as you could get when you were outnumbered by kids and animals… and yet, I wouldn't change it for anything in the world. My men had literally created Hell on Earth for me, and there was nothing that made me happier than spending it with my family.

Zhen Zhen huffed, not at all impressed with my words. "That is stupid. I am the oldest. I am the strongest. I need to be the one to protect everyone!" she said, sliding out of Chen Zi Han's arms and stomping her foot, making the Earth beneath us tremble.

"You leave the protecting to us," said Liu Wei, picking up.

I smiled and went up onto my toes to kiss my man, ignoring the sound of disgust coming from Zhen Zhen and Huang Chao. Chen Zi Han, now that his arms were empty, scooped me up in them, not even letting out a grunt at how much I weighed. I burst out laughing as one arm wrapped around his neck and the other one rested on my belly.

The Healer would be coming with her men in the next few hours to check me over. I would have to warn Hades ahead of time so that he could hide from Rip. He still hadn't forgiven me for that time all those years ago when I threw him at the monster.

"Happy, My Queen?" asked Chen Zi Han softly against my ear. I turned to look at him, easily seeing the love and devotion in his eyes.

"How could I not be?" I asked with a smile. I had my family, my house away from everyone, and all the supplies that I could possibly want. The guys still went off every so often, but they weren't called nearly as much as they had been before.

The world was finally at peace, and so was I.

"Apparently, the third time really is the charm."