Disclaimer: see chapter 1
Talking turned out to be ranting, lots of loud ranting. If lizard took anything out of this it was that his father could he scarier than normal when yelling and smacking him around just a bit. The 'talk' consisted of screaming, yelling, shouting, and smacking him around for sleeping with Charlotte. They couldn't get her father mad because he was their link to the outside world. He sent them food and prey so Lizard had no business fooling around with his daughter. This had been three weeks ago. Lizard had been unable to see her or even leave the village because of Hades' clan. They had been causing trouble, clan warfare as it was called. Charlotte had even ben earned not to go anywhere near the hills and she had complied after her encounter with them. She feared that Lizard had forgotten about her, didn't love her. The rational part of her knew that it wasn't true but the part of her that stayed up late onto the night watching the hills for signs of him was going crazy. She had driven herself sick with worry, tossing her breakfast every morning. She attributed it to nerves but her father was worried that it may have been something else. He was torn, his daughter may have been pregnant but Jupiter's clan could kill him if he tried to do something about it. Kill him and kidnap her. They needed more man power and children. After another two weeks had passed and the Hades' clan had gone back to their mines for the time being Lizard ventured out in the early hours of the morning to see Charlotte.
"Charlotte, lemme in." said Lizard quietly as he knocked on Charlotte's window. The whispering and tapping woke Charlotte from her slumber. She went to the window as quietly as possible and let him in.
"I missed you so much." Said Charlotte as she buried her face in Lizard's chest. Lizard rubbed the back of her head and sat them down.
"Missed ya too. Papa Hades finally sent 'em back. Duno what he's planning; though. Papa Jupiter's worried." Said Lizard before Charlotte kissed him hard
"It doesn't matter so long as you're alright." Said Charlotte
"No, so long as you're alright. You're what matter Char, you." Said Lizard. He wasn't usually this sappy but he had been away from her for so long.
"Oh God!" said Charlotte as she felt a familiar churning in her stomach. She put her hand over her mouth and ran over to the waste basket. Lizard held her hair back as she promptly vomited her empty stomach.
"Ya eat somethin' bad?" asked Lizard as he rubbed her back reassuringly.
"I didn't eat anythin' must be nerves." Said Charlotte. Lizard's eyes traveled to her stomach and eh remembered Papa Jupiter's ranting about him being too young and stupid to reproduce. He knew that the clan needed woman and Pluto while being older was even more unfit for reproduction, so he didn't know why Jupiter was so upset. Maybe because they were getting short on food.
"Ya sure it's just nerves?" asked Lizard. Charlotte looked at him but said nothing. She had missed a period but she also attributed it to nerves.
"I'm kinda sure. What if it ain't?" asked Charlotte feeling a cold steely fear grip her heart. She looked at Lizard and felt her stomach while did feel a big fuller. It was hard too, not like fat. She had seen pictures of her mother pregnant but wasn't nearly as big.
"Then we're royally fucked." Said Charlotte leaning into Lizard. She winced as her tender breasts pushed against his chest.
"Ya lean into my knife?" asked Lizard concerned for her
"No, my breasts just hurt a little." Said Charlotte. She was lying just a bit; they had been so tender she hadn't been able to wear a bra.
"Well, I hope it's nerves but if it ain't well…" said Lizard trailing off
"Well what?" asked Charlotte
"We'll get married." Said Lizard simply. Charlotte felt faint when she heard this. Married. As few weeks ago she didn't even have a boyfriend and now they were talking about marriage. She couldn't imagine being married, there were so many things she wanted to do. She wanted to go to Memphis to visit her mother and possibly tell her off for leaving or maybe she could even go somewhere glamorous like Hollywood or France… but married? She'd be in the hills with Lizard in the test village probably growing a garden, hunting coyotes, or running scared from other clans.
"Married?" asked Charlotte quietly. Lizard took is for happy surprise. From what he saw of women on Charlotte's TV and from Big Mama women like marriage and children and stuff like that.
"Yeah, I got a house and stuff." Said Lizard. He knew in the back of his mind that Jupiter would beta him half to death, take a break, and then finish but now he was lost in happy thoughts of being with Charlotte. His Charlotte.
"But we don't even have any money." Said Charlotte
"We don't need any." Said Lizard thinking of how things were shared in the clan
"We don't even have a…ring." Said Charlotte now grasping straws. She had always wanted a big diamond engagement ring and a white wedding. Now it didn't look like she was getting either.
"I'll get you one." Said Lizard
"How?" asked Charlotte. It wasn't like he could go waltzing into any jewelry store and get her the ring of her dreams.
"You'll see." Said Lizard now starting to feel afraid. He was afraid of Charlotte finding out exactly how he lived, afraid of Jupiter's wrath, and afraid of the dissent this would cause amongst the clan.
"But-" started Charlotte before she could hear her father waking up. Lizard quickly got out of her window and ran back to the test village. He felt oddly happy about this but at the same time fearful. He ran until he got to the mine because he knew better than to go running through the dark. He got as stealthily as possible but didn't go unnoticed.
"Boy! Get out here!" said Papa Jupiter as he saw Lizard coming home. He knew what his son had probably been up to and he knew hi clan needed women and children but he wasn't going to risk things with Sam.
"Yeah?" asked Lizard trying to sound normal. Jupiter didn't buy that for a second
"I know where you been." Said Jupiter walking off of his porch. He took off his large coat to look more menacing. Lizard tried not to look at his conjoined twin, he could see the outline from under Jupiter's shirt.
"I just been up the hills lookin' fer coyotes." Said Lizard. He could hear Pluto laughing from somewhere as a window opened.
"Jupiter what you doin' to that boy?" asked Big Mama as she called out the window from Big Brain's house. Thick wheezing could also be heard and Lizard resisted the urge to tell him to mind his own business.
"Nothin' Juno, you just keep on feedin' Big Brain." Said Papa Jupiter. Lizard was relived when he heard the window close.
"I ain't been doin' nothin' with her today papa." Said Lizard. He was being truthful, nothing had transpired between them.
"Don't you lie to me boy! Now you tell me why you be tryin' to make things hard with Sam."
"I ain't tryin' to do that." Said Lizard
"It's what you're doin'." Said Papa Jupiter
"Well he don't gotta be worried about her 'cause we're getting married ans she's havin' my baby!" said Lizard just a little too loudly. Now everyone was opening windows and door to hear exactly what was going on. Jupiter gave lizard a hard smack to the side of the head. The last thing he heard was Pluto laughing and Big Mama and Papa Jupiter arguing.