Lacie laid a hand upon the tight-stretched bulge underneath her nightgown. Two months from now she would give birth. In one and a half she would be dragged into the Abyss. She wasn't worried about herself, she had already prepared for it since she was a child. But the baby…Could it survive? Would Glen's experiment work?
Knock knock.
The compelling noise of someone, probably Glen, knocking on the door interrupted her thoughts. But why would Glen knock? Did he ever do that? Laboriously, Lacie rose to her feet. She opened the door and glared through the small opening.
Oswald. And Jack.
She closed the door instantly.
"I'll be there in a moment! You can go outside already."
She heard the muffled footsteps walking down the stairs. Both of them hadn't heard about her being pregnant yet. And there was only a small change they had seen, She usually wore dresses that perfectly hid it. So this time too, she carefully picked a dress. Not the usual purple one. This one was dark blue. Many fringes and it was laced.
She looked in the mirror. Not visible, she just seemed to have gotten a little fatter.
Nothing suspicious, she ate a lot, afterall.
Lacie walked down the stairs Jack and Oswald walked down a moment ago. They sat in the garden, so calmly. So peacefully. She picked a spot between Oswald and Jack.
She hummed a song, the song Jack named after her. She learned it long ago, and it never got out of her head.
Jack wanted to ask Lacie. But her voice was so pretty, it made him unable to speak. He loved her voice. He loved her appearance, her personality, even the ugly colored eyes that made her the Child of Misfortune. All of it.
Lacie stopped singing as she felt Jack glaring at her. This distorted man…He was her toy. A toy she could play with until she would be dragged into the Abyss. Lovely. So lovely.
But that was not all. Deep inside she knew, but she wouldn't admit it.
"I'm hungry," Lacie stated, breaking eye contact with Jack. "I'll get some cookies. Or something else which might tasted good."
And Lacie left, leaving Jack and Oswald together again. They didn't talk. Didn't need to. Both of them knew Lacie was keeping something from them. But both of them would never ask her.
As soon as Lacie returned, Oswald and Jack got rid off their lazy position and sat more straight. Of course, when food was involved they would pay attention, Lacie thought. Even with the long dress and the unhandy, big belly, her movements were as graceful as ever. She placed the bowl with cookies in the middle, the drinks in front of them.
Lacie loved how they didn't ask many questions. How everything got accepted this easily. It was relaxing like this. She had to admit, Jack could be very curious. But he never crossed the line she herself had made.
"It's tasty. But I bet it would be even tastier if they were made by you…" Jack said, dreamily.
As soon as he realized he has said that out loud, he blushed. His cheeks turned tomato red. He turned his face, so Oswald and Lacie wouldn't see.
"I will. Once." Lacie said without thinking. She probably wasn't a good cook, but it was always interesting to try something new.
And, since she barely ever could leave this mansion, it would keep her nicely occupied.
Jack smiled a surprised smile. Without trying Lacie could see he was happy too. Oswald didn't seem to mind either. In the evening, Jack left the house. Oswald and Lacie stood face to face.
"You have taking a liking into him, haven't you?" Oswald asked. He had thought about it. A lot. HE couldn't help but noticing some sort of tension between them.
Lacie laughed, shaking her head. "I'll tell you the same I told Glen. Jack is nothing more than a toy. An amusing toy I can play with until I die. That's all."
And for a moment, Lacie had fooled herself.