TPG Contest Entry
Theme song: Well, I listened to The Killers when I was writing it, but really, the theme song is Loving You Tonight by Andrew Allen.
I suggest that you go read and review Cross Fire before you read this. Stuff will make a lot more sense then. You don't have to. This can stand alone. But I would suggest it anyway. Also, you'll know how to say the name. Which is useful.
"Um, excuse me?" a voice said.
The female sprite looked up from her computer and focused on the nervous looking elf before her. The elf was obviously female and appeared to be rather young. The first thing the receptionist noticed about the young female was her hair. The shocking shade of violet that made up most of her hair color was streaked with seemingly random shades of neon blue and what appeared to be sea foam green. A quick scan of her outfit revealed that she was wearing a form fitting black Troll Sundown t-shirt and ripped dark wash blue jeans.
At last the sprite met her eyes. She was greeted with cat-like pupils surrounded by dark orange irises.
"Yes?" the sprite finally asked. "How can I help you ma'am?"
The elf gave her a nervous smile. "Hi. Yes. Um, I need to speak to Hol—ah, I mean Captain Short. Would you be able to inform her that I'm here please?"
The sprite nodded. "Of course. I'll just need to know your name and the purpo—"
"Hello there," a male voice interrupted. The sprite scowled, but the male just ignored her.
Chix Verbil leaned against the marble counter and shot the elf his most charming grin. He held out his hand to the colorful elf. "Captain Chix Verbil, but you can just call me Chix. How can I be of service Miss…?"
The woman's right ear twitched in response to the name, but she moved the pale green envelope she carried to her right hand and grasped his hand in her own anyway. Giving a firm shake she replied, "Cayenne. Oh!" She turned back to the receptionist, but the sprite had already returned her attention to her computer. "Ah—"
Before she could regain the receptionist's attention, Chix interrupted her. "Don't worry about it."
When she frowned at him, he just smiled and said "Just tell me what'cha need. Your wish is my command."
Her lips twitched but she turned her attention back to Chix anyway. Blowing out a puff of air to get her bangs out of her eyes she spoke. "I'm looking for Captain Short. Do you know where I can find her?"
"Short? O'course I do," Chix shot her another steaming look, "Cayenne. You think I might be able to get a first name first though?"
The elf looked slightly annoyed, but quickly covered the fact and answered him. "It's Dione."
Chix blinked and straightened up. He hadn't been at the Plaza when Short had come out of the proverbial closet, but he had heard all of the details from Vein the same day. And if he remembered correctly…
"Dione? And you're looking for Holly Short?"
At Dione's arched eyebrow and affirmative nod his eyes widened and he stood a little straighter. "You're not the Dione are you? Holly's girlfr—"
Just then a loud howl split the air in the lobby, followed soon by more shouts and the sound of scuffling. Both Chix and Dione jumped and turned their attention to the source of the noises. What they saw caused Dione to take a step back in fear and Chix to swear violently.
Lately, the goblin-dwarf turf war had been heating up and two goblins that had been about to be released had spotted a trio of dwarves that were being led into the Plaza by a traffic officer. They had immediately, and stupidly, as was common for goblins, formed fireballs in their hands and hurled them at the dwarves. And as such, the LEP officer as well.
This had resulted in retaliation from the dwarves, who had managed to dodge the fireballs, causing a few disgusting booms to be heard, and unfortunately, seen and smelt, throughout the lobby. A half dozen or so officers rushed in to help subdue the perpetrators.
Chix groaned. "Fuck man, I'm on leave. I don't wanna be dealing with this shit right now." He turned to Dione. "You're here to see Short right? Come on, I'll take you to the break room. We can wait there, away from all this craziness."
Chix placed his hand on her lower back and turned her away from the scene, leading her beyond the front desk and down a wide hall towards the break room. Before he got too far though, he paused and shouted back to the receptionist over the ruckus.
"Yo, Brooke, let Short know she's got a visitor, yeah?"
When Brooke scowled at him he grinned and gave her a thumbs up, taking her acknowledgement, a bit, an angry one, as conformation that she would, in fact, let Holly know she had a visitor.
"Thanks!" he shouted to her and turned his attention back to the elf at his side and continued leading her down the halls into the break room.
"Okay, thanks Spruce," Holly said before she entered her cubical and sat down in front of her computer. She wrinkled her nose. Today was a paperwork day. She hated paperwork. But, it was a necessary evil that she had to endure and the sooner she got it done, the sooner she could go home.
Holly look at her screen and was about to open a file containing her report on her last Recon mission when she paused, noticing a flashing messaged alerting her to the fact that she had an email. She blinked in surprise when she saw that it was from the front desk.
"Huh. Wonder what this is about." Clicking on it, Holly skimmed the brief message.
Captain Short, you have a visitor and are requested at the front desk ASAP.
Corporal Brooke
Holly blinked again. "A visitor?" She frowned. Who would be visiting her in the middle of her shift?
Holly shrugged. What did it matter? It just gave her a valid excuse to avoid her paperwork for a few more minutes. She stood and made her way through the maze of cubicles and to the lobby.
When she reached the lobby she gagged slightly at the smell and grimaced when she spotted the mess the dwarves had left. 'Gods, I am soooo glad that I'm not the one responsible for cleaning that shit up,' she thought.
Carefully avoiding any lose bits of dwarf excrement that had landed around, Holly made her way to the front desk.
"Excuse me, Corporal Brooke?" When the sprite looked up at her, Holly saw that she was wearing a nose plug. Holly smiled sympathetically. "You emailed me saying that I had a visitor?"
She had glanced around the lobby but hadn't seen anyone other than fellow officers that she knew.
Brooke nodded. Her voice was slightly squeaky due to her blocked nose. "I believe Captain Verbil took her to the break room when the fight broke out."
Holly frowned. Verbil, and her visitor was a girl…this did not bode well.
"Do you know who it was?"
Corporal Brooke pursed her lips and shook her head. "Captain Verbil," his name was said with marked distain, "interrupted me before I could get any of her information."
Holly scowled. She really couldn't stand Chix.
"But," Brooke continued, "I did hear her name. I think it was, ah," she snapped her fingers and shook her head a few times, trying to remember. "Oh, it was….Chardonnay…Cheyenne…"
Holly paled. "Cayenne?" she asked, hoping to the gods that the answer was no.
But, as usual, the gods were against her that day and Brooke snapped her fingers and pointed at Holly.
"Yes! Cayenne! That was it!"
"D'Arvit," Holly swore. "You said he took her to the break room?" Corporal Brooke nodded and Holly swore again. "Thanks," she said before she headed towards the break room, her steps hurried.
Corporal Brooke watched her rush off, her eyebrows raised. "Wonder what that was about," she mused. Then, shrugging, she turned back to her computer, knowing full well that if it was anything worth knowing, the information would reach her ears by the end of the week.
Dione sat on a faux wooden chair in the break room fidgeting. She tried to ignore the constant stares and the whispered mutterings coming from the group of males at the end of the counter. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly, trying to keep her attention focused on the envelope she was holding on her lap. She managed this act for about 20 seconds before she glanced up at the males yet again.
When they saw her looking at them they quickly tried to pretend that they hadn't been staring at her. They failed pretty miserably in Dione's opinion. Their whispering increased and Dione looked away from them, not wanting to think about what they might or might not be saying about her. Because she knew they were talking about her. And, if the few words she had managed to make out were any conformation, they were also talking about Holly. And about exactly just what type of relationship Holly and her had.
Dione bit her cheek to try and help keep herself in check. Her legs bounced both from nerves and from excitement. She glanced at her stomach and couldn't help the small smile that crept onto her lips.
A noise at the doorway drew her attention there and she breathed a sigh of relief at the sight of the female elf standing there.
Holly spotted Dione as soon as she stepped into the break room. When she saw that Dione wasn't being harassed she let out a sigh of relief that was almost identical to the one Dione herself had just given. Her relief was quickly replaced with annoyance however, when she noticed the group of males standing off to the side, staring at her.
Holly spared a moment to scowl dangerously at them before returning her attention to Dione.
"Hey," Holly said as she started walking towards the female elf.
Clutching the envelope in her hands, Dione stood and smiled at Holly. "Hey."
She stepped forward and opened her arms to give Holly a hug.
Holly pulled away after only a few moments and glowered at the men when their whispering started again, this time more urgently.
"Dude, I'm telling you, there is no fucking way in Frond's name that that is really Dee," Lieutenant Stone whispered. "I mean, just look at her hair."
At this, they all glanced at the strange elf and studied her for a moment before turning back to each other to continue debating over her true identity.
"I don't know man, Short's always been pretty out there hasn't she?" Vein asked.
"Yeah, but remember," Chix interrupted, "She told me that she was a stylist, and with an appearance like that," he shot a quick, appreciative glance at Dione's body, "I'm liable to believe her. And that's just such a girly thing to do for a living, do you really think Short would be able to stand it? I mean, we all know how girly she is."
His fellow officers nodded.
This time it was Trouble who voiced his thoughts. "But, remember, it is April fool's day today. The appearance could just be a total rouse to throw us off."
As one, they again looked at the pair of female elves, seriously trying to consider all possibilities.
When Holly saw the boys staring at her and Dione, her fists clenched and she tensed, preparing to make a scathing remark about their lack of manners, but was stopped by the feeling of fingers on her arm. She glanced down at the long fingers, briefly noting the gold and orange nail polish before looking into the cat-like eyes of her companion.
Dione just closed her eyes briefly and shook her head slightly before meeting Holly's hazel and blue gaze. She gave a small, wry smile, silently telling her that it wasn't worth it.
Holly pursed her lips slightly and shot the group one last glare before turning towards the opposite counter and heading towards the coffee machine.
Grabbing a mug, she glanced over her right shoulder and casually asked, "Want some?"
Dione smiled but shook her head. "No thanks," she replied, shifting her weight slightly.
"You sure?" Holly asked. She shook the coffee pot lightly. "There's plenty in here if you do."
Dione just shook her head again. "I'm good. Unless, do you have any tea?"
Holly's eyebrows shot up at this and she gave her a curious look. Then she nodded at a few metal jars that contained various types of tea. "Yeah. Help yourself."
Dione walked to the counter quietly and glanced at the different types of tea. Gingerly, she poked at one and then wrinkled her nose. "On second thought, I really am fine without.
Holly shrugged. "Suit yourself," she said as she poured coffee into her mug.
"So," Holly began as she reached over and grabbed two sugar packets, "how'd you get here anyway?" Holly easily ripped the packets open at the same time and poured them both into her coffee.
"Rowan dropped me off."
Holly blinked in surprise. "Rowan dropped you…oh!" Holly quickly grabbed a stirrer and whipped it around in her coffee mug for a few moments before tossing it in the garbage.
"That's right." Holly took a sip of the dark mixture and nodded in satisfaction. She nodded again, this time towards the table and they returned to it, sitting next to each other and angling their chairs so that they were facing each other.
Holly took another sip of her coffee and then put it down, giving her full attention to her friend.
"You had an appointment today. Rowan went with you I take it?"
"Yep," Dione said, her eyes flicking quickly to the boys on the other side of the room. Now that Holly was there she felt much more comfortable. Not to mention much more playful.
Holly saw the glance and when Dione met her eyes, her own shone with amusement and her lips twitched. They both knew what they were whispering and wondering about. Might as well have a little fun with them while they could.
Grinning back, Holly said "That man is going to make a great father one day isn't he?"
"Oh, totally. And you know how good he is with kids."
Over to the side, the LEP boys froze.
"So?" Holly asked, drawing Dione's attention back to her. "How'd it go?" she sounded eager for news and yet slightly fearful at the same time. She leaned forward slightly and looked at the purple haired elf intently.
Dione hesitated, biting her lower lip gently.
Holly's shoulders sagged slightly and her face fell. "What did the doctor say, Dee? Tell me."
Dione dropped her eyes and held out the card.
Holly furrowed her eyebrows but took the green envelope and looked at it curiously. "What's this?"
Dione glanced up at her. "Open it and you'll find out," she said.
Frowning, Holly sat up straight and slipped her thumb under the end of the triangle and pushed, tearing the top fold open.
Reaching in, Holly pulled the card out. When she could finally see the whole thing she blinked several times, almost as if she expected her actions to change the picture on the front of the card.
The front of the card featured a large pine tree, decorated with garland, lights, and ornaments. There was a fire burning brightly in a fireplace to the left and there were presents spread out all over the floor wrapped in colorful paper. Two small pixie children, supposedly brother and sister from what Holly could tell, were sitting on the floor nearby, looking at the presents with an excited sparkle in their eyes.
When the card didn't change despite all her blinking, Holly looked up at Dione, confusion clear on her face.
"This is a Christmas card."
Dione just nodded, her expression never changing, instead remaining neutral.
"But…it's April," Holly continued.
Dione nodded at Holly again, then gestured to the Christmas card and urged, "Open it!" a note of anticipation winding its way into her tone.
Holly arched her eyebrow in curiosity, but did as she was told anyway. Opening the card she glanced down and then froze at what she saw there.
The card contained two connected pictures. They were black and white and were shaped rather like upside-down Japanese fans. On each picture, there were two tiny circles right next to each other.
Trembling, Holly raised her hand and touched the staticy looking pictures gently. She stroked the pictures tenderly with her thumb.
When she spoke, her voice was barely a whisper, "Is this real?"
Eyes glinting excitedly, Dione nodded, a grin finally making its way onto her face. "Yep."
Holly stroked the ultrasound pictures again, even more reverently, if that was possible.
"So," she swallowed. "You're really pregnant then? Really, really pregnant?"
Her grin widened and she repeated her earlier reply. "Yep."
The boys, who had been almost completely forgotten in the moment, were all gaping at the pair of elves, half of their jaws working open and closed like fish out of water, and the other half didn't even bother trying to keep their mouths closed. They just let their jaws hit the floor and then let them stay there.
Finally, Vein managed to work out a squeaky "Pregnant?" before he again joined his comrades in speechless shock.
Suddenly, Holly frowned. "Okay, not that I'm not thrilled, because you know I am, but…why are you telling me this with a Christmas card?"
Holly, who was still unable to take her eyes off of the pictures, couldn't see the glint in Dione's eyes become almost dangerous. Nor did she see the wicked grin on her face.
The males however, did, and as one they leaned back, instinctively trying to get away from a female that was clearly planning something.
"It's because the babies are due on Christmas."
The group of males nearly chocked from their shock.
Holly's head snapped up and her eyes locked on her partners face. "Wait. Did you just say…babies?"
This time Holly saw her wicked expression.
"Do you know how hard it is to find a Christmas card this time of year? Rowan and I had to go to nearly a dozen stores before we managed to find that one!"
The woman continued to ramble on for a little while longer until Holly snapped at her.
"Dione!"
At the sound of her name, Dione grinned, "Yes Holly?"
"Babies?" Holly repeated, this time putting even more emphasis on the word.
Dione leaned over and pointed at the two circles on each picture. "What did you think there were two circles for silly? This one," she pointed at the higher up of the two circles on the pictures, "is a boy. And this one," she pointed at the other two circles, "is a girl."
Holly took in a deep breath and then let it out in a half laugh. Shaking her head she said, "Twins. I can't believe it."
Dione shrugged, "Well, the doctors did say that multiples were more likely with IVF, remember?"
Holly could only nod dumbly.
Finally, she was able to tear her eyes away from the pictures and gazed at Dione with something close to veneration. Then she leaned forward and cupped the back of Dione's head in her left hand, pulling her towards her. Holly's eyes slid closed as she pressed her lips to Dione's.
Smiling into the kiss, Dione kissed back for a moment before pulling back and grinning at Holly. Holly grinned right back.
"I can't believe this is finally happening. Five years and it's finally happening." Holly's grin was so wide that it threatened to break her face.
It didn't much bother Dione as her face sported a grin of equal proportions. "Yeah. It really is happening." Her grin widened and she giggled happily. "We're gonna be mommies, Holly!"
Holly just laughed happily and cupped Dione's cheek gently before placing her lips against her partners in another soft kiss. Holly pulled back slightly, looked her in the eyes and whispered "I love you."
Dione grinned and said "I love you too. But you know, it's gonna be one really crazy Christmas this year."
Holly could only nod before Dione returned her lips to their place on Holly's.
The girls broke apart when they heard a loud 'thump' come from behind them. Turning, they saw the boys that they had completely forgotten about.
Standing up slightly, Holly raised her eyebrows and let out a small, "Huh."
"What?" Dione asked, looking between the boys and Holly.
"Well, apparently Vein went into shock at our news." Looking back at her girlfriend, Holly smirked. "He's fainted."
Dione just blinked and then threw her head back and laughed. Holly glanced at the expressions the other males wore and joined Dione in her laughter.
Again, so you don't spoil surprises for others who have yet to read it, please, Please, PLEASE use the word Monkey instead of lesbian, bi, gay, or anything of the sort in reviews! And yes, please do review. Chew me out if you so wish, but I would greatly appreciate initial reactions. I'm extremely curious as to how people react.
Also, please don't mention babies. Use the word Frog instead, okay?
It's pronounced D-on. Dione=D-on. -glowers at Kit- Got it?
Well. I hope that you liked it. Or at least didn't hate it. Once again, Nothing against anyone who is a lesbian, bi, or gay. Half my friends are one of the aforementioned.
A picture of Dione's hair style is posted on my profile.
I'm a heathen, so what? I can't write a proper Artemis okay! -annoyed w/ self-
If you like it, please vote for it. Thanks! ^_~