~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Mourning & Startling Revealtions~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It was raining when he awoke the next morning. Yawning softly, he noticed Chandi was no longer beside him. A quick feel of the matress reveled it to be cold; Chandi had obviously left some time ago. Rubbing the remnants of sleep from his eyes, he got up and threw on the clothes from yesterday before heading out into the work area.

Michelle and Amanda were sill fast alseep in their respective rooms; Hoffman had left already for work. A check of the major rooms and Chandi's own bedroom came up empty. Frowning slightly, he made his way into the kitchen and checked the fridge. He found it full with food, elliminating the possibility that Chandi had run out for breakfast groceries. He was about to start searching for a note when the calendar's date caught his eye: April 18th. He sighed in understanding: it was one of Chandi's three useless days.

Three days out of the year, Chandi is useless. On one of those days (in October), she flies into an utter rage and destroys anything around her or argues with anyone near her over the smallest things. On the other two days, she vanishes for the morning with a distant look on her face and then returns in the afternoon, only to shut herself in her room and sob uncontrollably for the remainder of the day. One of those days is in January and the other is April 18th. Hoffman once mentioned in passing he attempted to follow Chandi on one of those two days but she lost him. A month ago, he would have no idea where Chandi could have gone. Now, he was sure he knew just where she was. Groaning in slight frustration, he put on his shoes, grabed a coat and an umbrella, and then headed out.

It was forty minutes to Lakeview - five minutes waiting, twenty of those on a city bus, and then another fifteen of walking - but at last he reached the main gate and walked inside. Lakeview was deserted - not many people came out to a cemetary on a rainy morning, but he was sure Chandi would be here. It was, afterall, the anniversary of her 'sister' and three friends' deaths. He started on one end and walked the path, looking up and down the rows of stone for Chandi. He found her a little before the halfway mark.

Dressed in the brown floral-print dress, goggles, and black boots, Chandi was sitting on the wet grass staring blankly at the large stone before her. In one hand a bouquet of tiger lillies, pink roses, white dasies, and bluebells was cluthed tightly. In the other, a locket. Chandi hadn't bothered to bring a jacket or an umbrella nor did she seem to care that it was raining. She just sat there, staring at the rock, soaking wet from head to toe. He slowly walked up to join her, sparing a momentary glance at the stone which only bore four names "Weeko, Reki, Meike, Heather" and a date "April 18th, XXXX". Chandi didn't seem to notice his presence even after a few minutes, so finally he sat besides her (upon the long back of his coat, of course, to prevent a wet bottom). He held the umbrella so it covered Chandi too.

Chand noticed the rain stopping on her head and looked up. Then her eyes moved to him. The mixture of rain and Chandi's tears had smeared the make-up Chandi had been too tired to wash off the night before down her face, making her look like a wet raccoon. He held back a snort of laughter and used his free hand to retrieve the hankerchef from his pocket and gently wipe the runny mess of her face. Chandi smiled slightly, then turned her eyes back down to the bouquet in her hand.

"Weeko loved daisies, Meike loved roses, Heather's favorites were bluebells and sissy liked tiger lillies..." she muttered to no one in particular as she finally laid the bouquet before the stone slab.

As she withdrew her hand, the tears started again.

"It's not fair."

He sighed softly. Transferring the umbrella to his other hand, he put his now-free arm around Chandi's shoudlers. "It isn't fair sometimes, not fair at all."

Chandi turned to him, lip quavering, and then once again threw herself into his arms sobbing. And once more, he held her and let her. Chandi had every right to cry over this, of that he was 100% certain. He held her with his free arm, using the other to keep the umbrella over them and allow them to be somewhat dry as the rain poured down around them with no hint of stopping anytime soon. It was almost like the sky was crying along with Chandi, having been moved by her plight.

He didn't know how long they sat there before Chandi finnaly stopped crying and allowed him to help her to her feet and lead her away. The didn't walk too far before Chandi wandered off to the left and sat down on the side of a long stone, rubbing her temples. Taking a closer look at her, Chandi looked slightly green.

"Are you alright?" he asked her softly, concerned that she had gotten herself sick.

Chandi looked at him breifly, then turned her gaze down to her feet. "Please don't be mad at me." she murmered.

Her comment only served to make him more concered. Why did she say that? His first thought was that she had awoken so depressed that she had taken an overdose of pills before comming her or that she had drank posion - Hoffman has mentioned that she tended to very depressed on this date. Hurridly, he shook his head. "No, I won't be angry. What's wrong, Chandi?"

Chandi's eyes rose to peek at him from behind her wet hair. "You promise?" she whispered.

He nodded more furously. "Yes. Promise." He tilted her head up to face him with his free hand, desperate to know what was ailing her. If it was an overdose or poison, he'd have to get her to a hospital fast... "Now, what's wrong?"

Chandi opened her mouth to say something, but quickly turned to the sideand collapsed to her knees, puking. He dropped the umbrella and knelt beside her, holding her shoulders steady. Chandi threw up a little more, then stopped, breathing heavily. He noticed her vomit was all clear fluid: no sign of food or any type of medication clouding it. Slowly Chandi sat back on her legs, kneeling in the wet grass. Her breathing had calmed back down and she was no longer as green as she was moment ago. Her arms wrapped around her waist and she looked away from him, unable to meet his eyes.

"Chandi...?"

She looked at him briefly, eyes overflowing with some emotion he could't quite understand, before turning back down to her knees. She drew in a shaky breath and spoke the two words he was least expecting to hear.

"...I'm pregnant"