Ruth stared up at her paternal parent, her eyes wide as she realized the situation. Thank God she and Mir had kept their clothes on. That was the only good part of this whole thing. Ruth's mouth worked desperately, trying to come up with an excuse while her mind froze in panic.

But Father wasn't interested in her. His smoldering eyes were fixed on Mir. "We trusted you."

"It's not..." Mir gulped. "It's not like that, sir!"

"Then what was it like?" Father demanded.

"We came here to talk... and... well..." Mir's voice trailed off.

"They're young yet, Colin." Mother stood in the doorway, sadly.

"Wonderful. My daughter is a young slut. And you!" he grabbed for Mir again, but only to shove the young man towards the door. "Get out of my house!"

Ruth sat on the bed in stunned silence as her father followed a pleading Mir out of the apartment. She could still hear his cold accusation, pounding in her mind. How could her own father think so lowly of her? Hadn't she always behaved properly? Hadn't she always tried so hard to make him proud? She blinked back tears. Why hadn't they had the sense to anticipate her parents' arrival?

"Your father just wants the best for you." Mother murmured, settling down next to her eldest daughter.

For the second time that afternoon, Ruth buried her face in someone's shoulder. But this time, the tears didn't come. She felt too deeply hurt for tears. "He has an odd way of showing it."

"Times have been hard for him."

"That's no excuse." Ruth insisted, stubbornly.

"You have to remember, lovey... his whole family died that day." Mother reminded her.

"I know, I know. The soldiers attacked the village, looking for a thief, and things went badly. You and father tried to protect your families, but were unsuccessful." Ruth had heard the story time and time again. "What does that have to do with me?"

For a moment, her mother was quiet, thoughtful. When she spoke again, her voice trembled with emotion. "That was the day you were conceived, Ruth."

"What?"

"Your father and I were nowhere near the village when it was attacked." Mother explained. "We snuck out. Your father had been on the outskirts and knew which ways the soldiers didn't watch. He and I slipped away from the village to... to have sex. It was our first time. And when we came back, it was all gone."

"And then you found out you were pregnant with me?" Ruth felt cold.

"Yes." Mother nodded.

"I was conceived in death." Ruth said, in a small voice.

"No." Mother shook her head. "You're a gift, Ruthie. You were a gift of life among the destruction. We should have named you Hope."

"But why is Father mad at me?"

"He's not mad at you, he's mad at himself." Mother tried to explain. "He's always blamed himself. He let his littlest sister go off with a friend, his other sister disappeared, and he found the body of his brother. My parents died and so did my sister's beloved, Jonathan. Colin never forgave himself for being away having fun when it all happened."

Ruth nodded, trying to absorb it all. "I can see why he doesn't like soldiers, then."

"Your father likes the soldiers just fine." Mother amended, quickly.

"But - "

"The soldiers who attacked our village were renegades. The average soldier is just fine. We like the soldiers just fine."