Ides of March, 44 BCE. The death of Julius Caesar.
When Caesar is assissinated his only living child, Lucretia Julia Caesaris, is left alone in the turbulant Rome. That is until her cousin, and new brother, Gaius Octavius arrives and changes the lan...
"I'm pregnant," Lucretia repeated. Gaius and Agrippa stared at her in silence for a moment before Gaius collected himself.
"Well... we knew it was coming eventually," he shrugged.
"She's married!" Agrippa snapped.
"-and I haven't laid with my husband... ever," Lucretia added, panic clutching at her chest.
Gaius shrugged again, "and her husband is a close ally of my close ally and fellow triumvir. Silvius would never risk ruining the tentative peace between Antonius and me by divorcing my sister."
Lucretia blinked, thinking over his words before letting out a sigh. He was right. Her damned husband was too loyal to Antonius to ever risk his alliance with Gaius by divorcing her and exposing her as having an illegitimate child. Agrippa had relaxed too, his shoulder falling as he allowed the wisdom in Gaius' words to flow over him.
"Do you know who the father is?" Gaius asked after a moment of allowing them to process.
"No, it could be either of you," Lucretia said.
Both men looked at each other then back at her. "I might be a father?" Agrippa asked.
"Yeah..." Lucretia smiled at him, feeling happiness spring up inside her at the tentative joy on his face.
Agrippa stepped closer to her, placing a hand on her stomach. "A father..." he whispered.
Gaius came up behind him, pushing Agrippa slightly to the side so he could also place a hand on Lucretia. "If the babe is anything like you sister, I will be happy to be it's... uncle," Gaius smiled.
Lucretia giggled slightly, "yes brother, it's... uncle," she responded, smirking slightly. Gaius' lips twitched as he tried to contain his laughter. Agrippa looked between them for a moment, his eyes sparkling. Before he cracked and began to laugh, his head falling against Lucretia's shoulder. Gaius and Lucretia both joined in the laughter a moment later. Joy filled the air as they all felt it flow through them. Lucretia was pregnant. And Gaius and Agrippa would soon be fathers.
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Lucretia kept her eyes locked on the door. Silvius would be home soon and Lucretia had to tell him she was pregnant and convince him to lie.
Silvius entered through the door, his hands filled with scrolls. He froze when he saw Lucretia seated on the sella in the atrium. "What is happening?" he asked, handing the scrolls off to a slave.
"I'm pregnant," Lucretia said simply.
Silvius started. His eyes darted down to where Lucretia had placed her hands over her stomach then back up to her face. "You... we've never-" realisation dawned in his eyes- "you whore." He stalked forward. Lucretia looked up at her husband with a blank face. "Who?"
"Who?" she repeated sweetly.
"Who are you fucking? You-" he stopped himself mid-sentence, he raised his hands in front of him and curled his fingers in fists.
