Sparrow 《Completed 》--

Declan Harp POV - Northern Territory

The torch in his hand was slowly dimming, the lonely flame flickered bravely, but Declan threw it on the roof of another one of the houses around him. The Outpost burned. It was desolated by the time he made it through the gates and into the Outpost. No Red Skirts, no Benton and no Elizabeth.

All of them went into pursuit immediately after Grace discovered another, smaller, gate on the other side. She had yelled to all of them and Declan took the lead. They crossed the cliffs, his eyes on the ground to follow the tracks and everyone walked fast. They didn't stop until the tracks ended on a beach an hour from the Outpost.

It was when Declan glanced over the stormy waters before him, that he dropped on his knees and exhaustion washed over him. In the distance a ship was setting it sails and slowly disappeared into the horizon.

"Where they going," his voice defeated when Grace puts her hand on his shoulder.

"Scotland," she answered quietly and Declan hardly noticed that she came to sit beside him onto the cold, white sand.

"Is she okay," he asked after a lingering silence.

Grace slowly nodded and locked eyes with him.

"Declan," she started, her voice doubtful and it caught his attention.

His gaze searched the red head's features before he turned to fully face her.

"What? Is Elizabeth sick? She looked pale."

"No," she shook her head, arched a brow and doubted. "Well yes, but..."

"Grace," his voice loud, "tell me."

The woman turned her head to face the Sea again. Declan his fingers clawed into the sand and for the second time in his life, he felt defeated. Empty.

"She's pregnant," she whispered so silently that Declan thought he didn't hear her.

"What?"

"Yeah," Grace stated, locking eyes with him again. "About four months. She was sick on the ship. Her belly is growing, the child..."

"She's pregnant?"

It took him a while to even consider the thought that he would be a father again. Harp just stared at Grace, mind empty for a few minutes and Emberly let the silence linger between them. She knew he needed time to process this information.

And Grace saw the moment in dawned upon him that she wasn't lying to him. All the pieces fell together. How Liz looked sick and pale, how she held her arm protectively around her stomach. How she searched for him on the cliffs before being escorted into the Outpost.

In seconds, Declan Harp was on his feet again.

Elizabeth was pregnant with his child and Benton had her.

"Does he know," his voice frantic while he held onto Grace's shoulders.

The woman nodded slowly.

"Benton knows," she admitted silently, "he wants to raise the child as one of his own. When it's a boy."

His breathing grew heavy and Declan hadn't noticed that his grip on the red head her shoulders grew in strength. When she flinched, he quickly released her and Declan glanced towards McTaggart and Charlie standing behind him.

"And when it's a girl?"

"He didn't say."

He gritted his teeth, wiped his eyes with his bloodied hand and tried to gather his thoughts.