Wednesday, Poor Darcy Day... Oh dear... Enjoy, review and till Friday, Muffins xoxox
Darcy
I walk to the infirmary and ask for Piper. I ask her about pregnancy tests and she gives me a momentary look of mild judgement. I feel a little weird because I would tell her that it's not for me but then that would probably make more questions rise and then . She leads me into the back and I listen to a long spiel about different kinds. I opt for the digital one because it is the most accurate. …I get three of them. I get three because I don't fucking trust these things.
I pull out Riley's card and she charges it. I haven't gotten my own and he practically forced his card into my pocket a week ago putting me in charge of groceries and everything. When she sees his face come up on the screen she looks at me and I smile politely. Shit. I didn't think about this. I should've asked for Mel's card.
I leave the infirmary with the tests in a white paper bag. I roll it up and tuck it into my jacket. When I get back to the apartment Riley is sitting at the breakfast bar eating yogurt while reading something on his tablet. Hopefully not an email from Piper. I laugh nervously to myself as I pass him.
"How's Melanie?" He asks.
"She's good." I say as I walk into the bedroom, I take my jacket off and toss it on the bed.
"Hey, will you take a file to the office for me?" Riley asks from the doorway.
"Yeah, where is it?" I ask as I walk towards him.
"It's on the coffee table." He wraps his arms around me and kisses me. "And ask Eric for last year's census."
"You know," I tug on his belt loop and smile up at him, "You're perfectly capable of doing this yourself."
"Baby…" He shakes his head and touches his hands to his beard, "It's not ready. It needs time."
"You're turning into a hermit." I stand on my toes to kiss him again. "I'll be back." I say as I step around him and grab the file off the coffee table.
When I get to the office I knock on the door and wait. Eric opens it and looks down at me, I hold up the file and he opens the door wider for me to enter. Max is sitting at his desk with headphones on as he reads over something.
"When is he going to leave that apartment?" Eric mumbles as he flips through the file.
"He says his beard isn't ready?" I giggle. "Oh, he wants last year's census."
"Okay, let me find it." He walks over to a filing cabinet and thumbs through until he finds what he's looking for. A black folder. He hands it to me.
I take the folder and walk out of the office heading down the hallway.
"Whatcha got there?" The folder is plucked from my hand suddenly and I look up at Four as he walks beside me. My heart slams against the walls of my chest.
"Riley needs it." I say reaching to take it back but he pulls it away from me.
"Why haven't you been to see me?"
"Because I've been taking care of Riley." I say. His eyes look me up and down and I narrow my gaze. Fucking dirt-bag.
"I bet you have." He says suggestively. I swallow dryly and grab the folder from him.
"I don't have to do what you say, Four." I whisper. "Eric isn't going to care what footage you have." He steps in front of me and I nearly bump into him, his eyes are on me like a wolf. I try my best to stand my ground as I look up at him.
"You need to be careful." He whispers. His voice is so quiet it's almost inaudible and it sends a chill through my skin. "You don't want to cross lines."
"Lines.." I roll my eyes, "Shut up, Four." I'm so sick of him and it's only been a couple minutes. "I need to get this back to Riley. He's expecting me." I step around Four and hurry down the hallway just as my phone starts ringing.
"Hello?"
"Darcy, Eric is gone for a couple hours." Melanie whispers, "I need you to bring the tests to his apartment."
"Uh–uhm okay." I stutter because I've never been alone in Eric's apartment and the idea of it kind of terrifies me.
I let myself into Riley's apartment and see him sitting on the couch reading something. "Hey, I've got to go meet Melanie," I say as I set the folder in front of him on the coffee table. He raises his face to me and I kiss him gently. "I'll be back soon."
"The girls are coming tonight. Jasmine just called me and they've all agreed to let me take the girls for the night and tomorrow since I almost died." He teeters his head side to side, "She didn't say those words exactly, but that's basically it."
"Jasmine is…what number…three?" I ask. And he didn't almost die. He did die.
"Yeah." He nods as he looks down at the papers in front of him. Jasmine. I like that name. I wonder if her face matches her name.
"Alright. I shouldn't be gone too long. I'll make some snacks if you want–"
He hums and nods, he's working. I walk into the bedroom and grab my jacket off the bed. If Mel wants to take the pregnancy test at Eric's I hope he is far away.
I sit on the counter as Melanie pees on the sticks and caps all three. I look down at them as she sets them on the counter and flushes the toilet.
"How long?" She asks, I pick up the paper and read it.
"Three minutes." I mumble. There's no way she's pregnant, right?
She starts pacing after twenty seconds and then glancing at the time on her phone. When the three minutes is up she's facing the wall and shaking her head. "Darcy, I can't.. . You look and tell me."
What? Why do I have to be the bearer of this news? I grab the three sticks and hop off the counter. I look at each one carefully and my stomach hurts. Melanie looks over her shoulder at me. I clear my throat and nod. She steps over to me and grabs them out of my hands. Her hand covers her mouth. She just kind of falls apart in front of me. The sticks fall from her hand, I try to catch them but then I have to catch her as she crumbles to the floor.
"Come on," I gather the stuff and shove it back into the pharmacy bag and put it in my jacket, if Eric finds this I don't know what he'll do. I'll throw it away in a dumpster outside. "Let's get you some fresh air."
I pull Melanie into the hallway and to the stairwell. Fresh air. Yes. That'll help. "Darcy…" She's shaking her head and small sobs are escaping her trembling lips. It reminds me of a child that has scraped her knee.
"Not yet, Mel. We're almost there." I pull her up two more flights of stairs before we break through the door onto the roof. "Deep breaths, Mel." I hold her up and she's shaking so horribly I have to lower her to the ground against the brick wall. "It's going to be okay." I tuck her hair behind her ear and wipe at her tears. "Mel, breathe."
She only shakes her head and cries harder. I have a feeling I shouldn't even say Eric's name right now.
"What… what do we do?" I ask.
"We?" She snaps.
"Yes, we." I snap back. "I'm not going to let you go through this alone."
"I don't know." She shakes her head. "I can't tell Eric and you can't tell Riley. Riley will tell my parents and they'll tell Gunner and Gunner will kill Eric who will kill me."
"That is quite the conga line you got there." I mumble. "Okay, I won't–I won't tell Riley–"
"No matter what, Darcy, you cannot say a word." She says and I nod. "I'll get in so much trouble. They'll make me stop initiation. They–they'll–" She breaks into more painful sobs.
Speaking of babies. Riley's kids are supposed to be coming soon. I need to get back. I pull Mel to me and hug her tight. "It's going to be alright. Just relax for a day and we can discuss this when you're ready." I hate to leave her like this, "I've got to get back to Riley."
"Please don't go yet." She clings to me and I almost fall on top of her. I stay with her.
"They'll be here soon." Riley has gone over the apartment three times. Cleaning. He's already a tidy guy but he just put my glass in the sink before I could even use it.
"Riley, relax." I say as I pluck my glass out of the sink.
I look over at him standing in front of the fridge. He glances at me and I can tell he's nervous because of me. I'm the main aspect of his anxiety right now. So I need to remain positive and collected no matter how this situation pans out. There's a knock at the door and he almost falls over at the sound. He hurries over, his eyes staying on me right up until he opens the door and five little girls rush in giggling, jumping around him and pulling on his arms and shirt.
Their mothers file in slowly and I almost shrink back into the bedroom but then Socks trots in to see what the commotion is about. And all squeaky, shrill hell breaks loose.
"Puppy!" One screams and they all scream and run for Socks.
"Who is she?" One mother says and they all look at me.
"Is she the babysitter?" Another asks. "You are going to be staying with the girls aren't you, Riley?"
"Riley, you said you were going to be with them." Another one says.
Riley walks over to me and wraps an arm around my waist, "This is Darcy. My…girlfriend. Darcy, that's Paige, Mira, Naomi, Jasmine, and Hattie." He points at each one. I smile at them, but none smile except Paige. She steps forward and extends her hand.
"It's nice to meet you." She says softly. She's beautiful and even looks like she's nice. Her big doe eyes are warm. The other women scoff and roll their eyes as I shake Paige's hand.
"It's nice to meet you too." I say.
"Right. Is she going to be here all night?" Jasmine asks. She has deep blue eyes and black hair and I'm so intimidated by her I can feel my skeleton hurting because of her beauty. They're all beautiful. And older.
The front door opens again and Eric walks in quickly then shuts the door and locks it. He looks around like he's just smelled something fowl. It's called children, Eric. All the women look at Eric and get tense. For once I'm relieved to see him.
"Ladies." Eric mumbles as he walks into the kitchen. I wonder if he's talked to Melanie at all. Oh no... What if that's why he's here?
"Darcy, I think Socks is enjoying his attention." Riley mutters and I glance over at the girls sticking ribbons in his fur. "Why don't you go over with them and I'll try to get… them to leave." He looks at the mothers that are glaring at us. Or me. I'm not sure.
"Okay." I step away from him and slowly approach the small crowd. The tiny crowd.
"Hi," The little girl with curly blonde hair looks at me and she has Riley's eyes. They all turn and look at me and ….they all have his eyes and lips. Oh my god.
"Hello." I smile.
"What's your name?" The adorable redhead asks.
"Darcy. What are your names?" I ask.
Harley has pitch black hair and kind eyes, Alexis is the curly, soft blonde with the pink ribbon in her hair and she keeps looking over at Riley. Grace has the strawberry blonde hair cut straight at her shoulders and she is pensive. Ella has brown hair like Riley, in fact she looks the most like him and even has a scowl that could rival her father's. Natasha is the redhead and she clings to Socks like he's the only fluffy thing in the world. They're all so different yet when I look at each of them I can see him clearly. It's obvious that he's the father.
When the 'furious five' as Riley secretly calls them, leave, he comes and joins us. He sits on the couch and Alexis is the first to climb into his lap. They all go to him.
"Where's the bird?" Ella asks and Riley smiles at her.
"It had to go bye bye for a little bit." he says. Bird? I watch Ella reach up and touch his jaw. Beard! Oh.
"Can we watch a princess movie?" Grace asks.
"I don't want to watch a princess movie." Harley snaps, "I want to watch the scary show."
They all have something to say except Alexis, she just sits quietly on his lap hugging his forearm to her little body. She looks worried about something as she bites her lip. She is looking between her sisters and worry is in her expression easily. She doesn't like their bickering.
"No movies." Riley says, "We're gonna color, then have snacks and some games and then… paint our nails."
I honestly have to bite my tongue to keep from laughing because he has this serious look on his face. He means it. Eric walks over with coloring books and boxes of crayons. Aw, Uncle Eric. Riley gets all the girls set up to color around the coffee table and then he walks into the kitchen to get some snacks ready. My eyes go to Alexis. She isn't coloring. She's watching Riley. There is sheer terror in her eyes and she's holding it in tightly. Professionally. I walk over and sit down next to her.
"You okay?" I whisper. She looks at me with big Riley eyes and nods then looks back to her father. I look at him too and watch his shoulders. "Do you want to color?" I ask softly and she shakes her head. "Would you like to go watch daddy?" She nods and I offer her my hand. I lead her over into the kitchen and lift her up onto the counter next to him preparing peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.
"Hey, Alleycat, you okay?" Riley mumbles without looking over.
"Yeah." Her voice is small like she is.
Riley cuts the sandwiches up into squares and sets them all on a plate. He grabs Alexis in one arm and then takes the plate to the other girls. Eric and I are standing in the kitchen watching.
"They're so cute." I mumble. Eric visibly shudders in my peripheral vision and I look at the disgusted expression on his face. The tightness of his lips. "What?"
"It's cute. It's nauseating." He blinks slowly and his eyes watch Harley approach us coldly. "Harley." He deadpans.
"Eric." She folds her arms and glares up at him. I think he might be outmatched.
"You still my girl?" He mumbles.
"Yep." She smiles suddenly.
"Better be. You're gonna run this place some day." He says.
"I know." She walks around us and goes to the fridge, pulling it open and grabbing the carton of juice out to take it to Riley. I look over at Eric and his eyes slide to me.
"What?"
"Nothing." I shrug. I didn't know he was… okay with kids?
Throughout the night I watch Alexis carefully. She follows Riley wherever he goes. He doesn't mind, he always has a free hand for her to hold.
Riley disappears into the bedroom and then drags out the trunk that is usually at the end of the bed. The girls all start giggling and run over to him excitedly. What's in the trunk?
He unlocks and opens it. "Alright, pick your threads, ladies." He says. All the girls start pulling out dresses. Little princess dresses. I walk over and look into the trunk. It's full of glittery materials, tiaras and plastic tea cups. Plastic jewelry. Stuffed animals. That is not what I thought was in there.
Riley lets them accessorize him. He's wearing a tiara with it's jewel missing from the middle. Eric has left, probably to avoid being lipsticked. Something tells me he's been the victim of a secret clip-on earring assault. I'm sitting at the breakfast bar watching Riley and his girls. It's not at all what I would've pictured him doing when I think of the first time I saw him.
"Princess daddy," Ella giggles and hands him a tea cup. They're sitting in a circle on the floor. Socks has a tiara and is sitting particularly still for Natasha as she sticks bows in his fur.
"Thank you, princess Ella." Riley says in his gruff voice as he helps her pour juice into his tiny plastic tea cup.
"Daddy, Harley took my bracelet." Grace cries.
"Harley, come on dude, there's plenty of other bracelets you can have." Riley says as he reaches into the trunk and pulls a handful of fake jewelry out. "Natasha, don't give Socks your pb&j. He has a peanut butter addiction. Socks, we talked about this." He says seriously and all the girls giggle. Hell, I'm giggling. "Grace, darling, you have jelly on your nose."
I look at Alexis sitting in his lap nibbling on a sandwich watching her sisters. They have their tea party. They color. They all tell Riley about what they've been up to. He's interested in hearing what each one has to say. Grace is the first to fall asleep.
Riley pulls out the hideaway in the couch and they, of course, all fit on it. He puts on a princess movie for them and they snuggle under the blanket and soon fall asleep. But Alexis is still awake. She doesn't want to go to sleep she wants to stay with her dad. She's sitting up on the breakfast bar and Riley is painting her toenails as they whisper back and forth to each other. I bend over the girls on the hideaway bed and pull Socks out. I need to take him outside so he can do his business.
"I'll be back in a little bit." I say quietly as I latch the leash to Socks' collar.
"Okay, babe." Riley looks at me and then goes back to talking with Alexis.
When Socks and I get outside, it's dark and the sky is clear. I look up at the stars and can't help but wonder where my dad is. That's when it hits me. Alexis is just like me. I used to follow my father around like a stray cat. It was him and me. Me and him. Peanut butter and jelly. Socks is slumped over on my foot snoozing when I look down at him. Poor pup can't even take a piss. Those girls wore him out.
I stand there a little longer thinking about the girls and Riley. I almost giggle but it doesn't carry out. Riley loves his girls. He was a little stiff at first but it didn't last long.
I turn to the sound of voices and see Peter walking with a few of his new friends. He waves and separates from them to come over to me. We watch the group disappear around a corner talking animatedly.
"Haven't seen you in like… years." Peter runs his hand through my hair and pulls me into a hug. Socks stirs and tries to sit up but slumps back onto the ground and starts snoring again. "This doesn't look like a successful piss break for the pooch."
"Yeah, he had a busy afternoon." I smile thinking about the girls running around the apartment with Socks.
"Father Time keeping you busy, hm?" He asks and I laugh because I'm tired and it's hilarious because Riley is a father. He's a father of five little girls that are the cutest things I've ever seen.
"Uh, yeah." I nod.
"We need to hang out. I miss you." Peter says and I look up at him. I've missed him too.
"Yeah, let's hang out soon."
"Tomorrow." He says.
"Okay." I laugh lightly.
"I'm gonna get back." He smiles and I nod, we hug again and he jogs off. I scoop my sleeping, bow clad puppy into my arms and start back.
I come in to the apartment quietly and take Socks to the bedroom where Riley is on the bed with Alexis asleep next to him. He's holding a book and looking through it.
"The Princess and the Pea." I mumble as I lay Socks on the end of the bed. "Heavy read." He looks up at me and smiles.
"It's her favorite." He glances down at her and slowly sits up taking her into his arms.
"She sure loves you." I smile.
"Yeah.." He clears his throat softly and I tilt my head to make him look back at me.
"What's up?"
"Paige. Alexis' mom is sick." Riley whispers. "And Alexis knows it. She's scared. She spent a lot of time with me last year. Everyone thought I was just babysitting for a single mom who was in the infirmary. Nobody knows all these girls are mine. Except Eric." He shrugs.
"Why don't you want anyone to know?" I ask and he looks at me as he stands. I follow him into the living room.
"Darce, I'd gladly tell everyone. Every single person in every faction about my girls. But their mother's don't want anyone to know. Because of the stupid reputation I have." He looks so sad for a second, "They'd keep my girls from me." He looks at the other girls asleep in front of us. Carefully, he lays Alexis next to Natasha.
"They can't do that. Can they?" I whisper. He nods.
I look down at them. They all adore him, I can't imagine him not being allowed to see his girls.
"I'm trying to be the dad I didn't have." He whispers and brushes Alexis' hair out of her face. I look at him and can see everything he's worried about. "I know they might choose to leave some day."
"But you'll always be their dad." I whisper.
"I won't let them forget that." He smiles as he pulls the blanket up over Alexis. He turns to me and I know that he isn't like his father. He's like mine. "Besides, I think I can already see what they're going to choose." He wraps his arm around my waist and we walk to the bedroom.
"Oh?"
"Yeah. Harley will stay. She's a spitfire." He shakes his head and chuckles, I can see he's proud of them as he talks, "Grace will go to Erudite. I can just tell. Ella will probably stay. She looks like me and acts like me, but she's painfully honest so.. she might go. Natasha.." He sighs, "She'll go to Amity. I can feel it."
"And Alexis?" I see the pain in his face, he would never say it but I know she has a special place with him.
"I don't know. I don't know about Alexis. I think… she would want to leave but she'll be too scared. So I'll have to instill some kind of solidity in her." He shakes his head, "I just don't know how to."
I pull my lighter out of my pocket and hand it to him, "Give her something to hold onto." I whisper. "I think they'll look up to you for guidance." I say softly, his eyes focus on me suddenly and I see something I cant identify flash across his face.
"Yeah. You're right." He says quietly.
Riley
It's been two days since my girls left. I miss them. Darcy is still sleeping, we were up late making Eric mad. I'm smiling to myself as I gather laundry around the room. I grab Darcy's jacket and something falls out. A white paper bag. Something from the pharmacy? I open the bag and see an open box with some other stuff. Not sure what it is so I dump it on the bed. If my jaw could drop it would. Then tension of the wire hurts my mouth as I look down at the pregnancy tests.
I pick one of them up and look at it. It clearly states 'Pregnant'. My eyes flit to Darcy still asleep, her blonde hair strewn in every direction. I pick up the other two tests and they say the same thing. I think I might be having a heart attack. My chest hurts. I'm waiting to drop dead but it doesn't happen. Damn it. I deserve to. But I'm only holding my breath.
"Darcy." I say softly. "Darcy…" I gently touch her foot under the covers and she stirs.
"Hm, yeah, baby?"
"Darcy, uhm.. I found this." I'm not sure what I should say, but that's the only thing that came to mind.
She sits up slowly, holding the sheet around her and she looks gorgeous. Her eyes land on the tests I'm holding.
"Oh.." She runs a hand through her hair and I'm strangely aroused even though I'm filled with absolute terror. "Uh…those.."
"You're …pregnant." The word is so hard to say. I feel like I'm going to choke on my tongue. "I don't understand. We've been careful. Didn't you go and get that shot that day?"
"Yes, I did." She nods.
"Did it not work? They are like… always effective." I shake my head and look down at the sticks in my hand.
"I… Uhm." She shrugs. "I'm sorry."
"Oh my god." I need to sit down.
"Riley–" She starts but I hold my hand up to stop her. I can't comprehend my own thoughts I can't even start to hear hers right now.
"If you didn't get that shot, you can tell me. Were you scared to get it?" I ask, "D-did–was there someth–" I can't talk. I stand up and walk out of the room. I leave the apartment.
