Fandom: Howl's Moving Castle
Title: Big News
Disclaimer: I do not own Howl's Moving Castle or any of the characters associated with it or anything else.
--
Sophie let out an exasperated moan as she looked at the pregnancy test results.
"Positive?!" She gasped. Sophie sat on the end of the bed and stared at the plastic tube as if it wasn't true; the blue on the screen laughing silently at her. Sophie carefully put the test back in its tin and slid it in her dress pocket. She paced up and down her room, casually avoiding the many charms and stuffed cows lying on the floor, as if a bomb had gone off. Sophie had threatened Howl to remove all the stuff out of the room if he didn't clear up, unfortunately he wasn't that type of person.
'How can this ever work? Something could happen- something will happen! The baby, no, my baby, just isn't safe. Howl will hate the idea! He doesn't want to be a father; he's still so young and active, having to look after a young child will just hold him down. We'll be stressed all the time from looking after the baby!'
Sophie cried out in frustration and started to cry again. This time she sobbed so loudly that Marcl and Heen poked their heads around the bedroom door.
"Sophie!" Marcl ran over to Sophie and hugged her while Heen trotted over on his short legs and whined.
"Oh Marcl!" Sophie held onto his shoulders. "I'm pregnant!" she sobbed.
"I… know Sophie, I think I… realised that; we all did apart from Howl." Marcl patted Sophie's silver hair. But hearing this only made Sophie cry even harder; creating a wet patch on Marcl's shirt. Heen huffed at his mistress' wailing and marched out of the room, thinking she was making too much fuss.
"I just don't know what to do. This isn't exactly the sort of place to bring up a baby!"
"Listen Sophie, I think you'd make a great mother! You've always been like one to me, the perfect one. And Howl would make a great father!" Marcl's enthusiasm cheered Sophie up a bit; an attempted smile trembled at the corners of her mouth.
"But when should I tell him? I can't leave it to too late; I will get a bulge anyway."
"Well, tell him tomorrow. Right now he thinks you've been kidnapped by a shady looking lady!"
"Marcl?! Whatever you told him, you're taking the blame!" Sophie giggled ruffling Marcl's ginger tuft. "Sorry to put you through this, you're more mature then I am!"
"You're not so old yourself though, Sophie."
"I guess." Sophie sighed and got up. Heen had been lingering by the door; checking if Sophie was okay, but he had fallen asleep in the process and Sophie heaved him up.
"Oh, you heavy lump, Heen!" she gasped. Heen opened his heavy eyelids a gap and then closed them again when he had found out it was just Sophie rocking him about; not the boat to take him off to dreamland.
--
"Okay Soph, we've got this all worked out." Marcl was looking into Sophie's eyes, leaning across the table. They were both in the kitchen and Sophie's hair was looking a mess. The silver strands had been intentionally messed up; to make her look a bit more 'kidnapped'. "So when Howl walks in, just act calm. All you have to do is ask him to sit down and then, ya' tell him!"
"Oh, okay..." Sophie nodded uncertainly. It wasn't the best thing; telling Howl she was pregnant after she had been supposedly kidnapped, which she hadn't. They were all hoping that Howl wouldn't turn into his usual gloopy mess when he heard the news. Sophie, Marcl and Heen all sat in room at the front of the castle; each one of them tense. Suddenly the dial clicked. Sophie gasped and quickly ran things over in her head one last time and Marcl quickly pulled up a paper, but Heen was running around in circles in a panic and huffing every lap.
"Heen!" Sophie hissed, but it was too late. Howl strode into the castle and closed the door behind him. His hair was wet from being out in the rain and his eyes were tired. He sighed and stepped up the few steps into the dining area. He stopped in the middle of hanging up his cape on a peg, his head turning slowly towards Sophie, eyes full of rage.
"Sophie, dear," Howl said "What a surprise to see you here!" His voice was getting louder and louder, "To see you sitting here at the table doing absolutely nothing!!"
--
He was in an outrage and his cape was flung to the side of the room, where it flopped helplessly on the floor.
"Damn it, Sophie. Can't you be more careful?" Howl's voice was returning to a more calm tone now. "At least…At least you're alive." He sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose; leaning against the wall. He was heading for the stairs when his wife managed to call out his name:
"Howl?"
"What is it?" Howl didn't even bother turning towards Sophie. She frowned and looked down at her hands on the table, the dim glow from Calcifer casting a yellow tinge on them.
"I'm sorry," she sighed. Howl walked on slowly up the stairs and Sophie leant forward on the table. "Ugh, I didn't tell him!" Her eyes were filled with angry tears; the longer she left it, the harder it would get to tell Howl. The tears quickly sunk back into her eyelids and Sophie groaned.
"It's okay Soph, it's not easy to tell someone something like that," Marcl tried to comfort Sophie.
"Tell him what?" Calcifir suddenly chipped in. Sophie and Marcl stared at each other in horror; should they let Calcifir know?
"I'm pregnant!" Sophie blurted out. And actually, she felt good telling someone about it, although telling Howl would be a lot harder. She didn't know how she could look into his bright, glittering eyes and tell him such news.
"Pregnant are ya?" Calcifir thought to himself then chuckled, "I'd love to see some little kids tottering around the place, causing mischief and annoying Howl." Sophie smiled. Maybe having a baby wasn't this bad after all?
"Well, we best get working on plan B!" Marcl got up and slapped the black and white print paper back down on the wooden table.