Chapter 37: Cold Water

He had driven out to one of his parent's properties that no one had been to in years. He fucked Orihime in the backseat. He fucked her on the hood of the car. He even went down on her while she was naked to all the world. They spent hours out there making love to each other.

The sun was starting to set as the white car pulled into the driveway, waiting for the gates to open. When they drove through and up to the house, Ulquiorra could see his mother standing on the steps, unimpressed. He looked at Orihime, bit his lip then laughed. It was okay. His mom couldn't be that mad.

After the scolding he received for making his mother worry, Ulquiorra sat beside Orihime at dinner, with his hand on her thigh, which she kept batting away. They spent the hours that they should have been sleeping, fucking.

The next couple days were like that until finally Edra put her foot down.

"Don't think I don't know what you're doing Ulquiorra." Edra was once again shaking her finger at him. Orihime was upstairs probably taking a shower or getting cleaned up for the day.

"Ma, don't start in. I'm not doing anything," Ulquiorra replied, trying to bat her finger out of his face. "What am I supposedly doing, Mother?"

Edra scowled at him. "You two have been going at it. The security guard sees things. The garage. The garden. Behind the stables."

He sighed. It figured his parents would install something like that with him being gone, so he decided to tease his mother. "And? From what I heard from Oma-"

"I expect grandchildren! Lots of grandbabies!"

That made him sober up quickly. He frowned at his mother. "What do you mean you expect grandchildren?" He asked.

"For being so smart, you are a dense boy." His mother folded her arms across her chest. "I want to be a grandma. My mother had almost fifty grandchildren and—"

"Mother! There is only one of me. Grandmother had ten children!" Ulquiorra gave an exasperated sigh.

"By the way, you should tell Orihime that tomorrow is when I plan on taking her into Munich." Edra patted her son's arm, then walked away from him. She was probably on her way to the greenhouse or maybe even out to see the dogs.

He wanted to tell his mother that Orihime didn't need to be shoved into Nel's face. He wanted to tell her that he wanted to go with them but Ulquiorra knew his mother would never allow it. Besides, he could use this as the perfect opportunity to go ring shopping. He'd call his friends while in the city and have lunch with them. He would avoid Nel.

Trudging back up the steps to his room, Ulquiorra ran into Orihime in the hall.

"Hey Babe," she said as he approached. "What's wrong?"

"You know, everything. My mother wants grandchildren and she's taking you to lunch tomorrow."

She threw her head back and laughed a trilling little laugh. "Ulquiorra, you are being dramatic. We've known about the lunch for days and grandchildren... Well, we've talked about it before. What's the big deal?"

He sighed and looked at her. "She knows what we've been doing. Apparently there's cameras everywhere, which is a new development."

The mirthful expression melted off of her face, morphing into something resembling abject horror. Her hands came to her cheeks and she mouthed, "Oh no," then turned and ran back to the bedroom, completely mortified.

Ulquiorra walked after her. His face was red from embarrassment. "My mother says if we're going to do that, we might as well give her grandchildren. I don't have the heart to tell her it might be a few years down the road. And, yes, we've known about the lunch but, I'm not going with you. It will be just you and my mother. You're going to see Nel, Baby."

She froze. "How can you be sure?" She asked without turning around to look at him. She knew his face would tell the truth before his mouth would, and she wanted to prolong the time it took for this information to reach her for as long as possible.

"My mom is going to introduce you to her," Ulquiorra said in a flat voice. He hated being the bearer of bad news but someone had to say it. It wouldn't be right for her to go with his mother and not be prepared.

She turned around with a hurt expression. "Why would she do that? I don't understand. I thought she liked me. Is it because of the sex thing?"

He had an idea that something like this would happen. The dark-haired man shook his head. "No, if she wanted to retaliate for that she'd chaperone us everywhere. I think she's doing it to show Nel that you're a much better woman that she could ever be."

Ulquiorra walked over to the chair that was in the room and sat down with a long exhale. "Orihime, there's something you don't know and I've not told anyone about. There's a reason why I left Nel. There's a reason why I didn't think it was a big deal that she was trying to talk to me or why I didn't think her words or opinions mattered. There's a reason why I don't believe anything that Nel says to me."

Orihime's eyebrows knit. What kind of secrets was he keeping? "What is the reason?"

"She cheated on me. She slept with either Grimmjow or Bazz or even both, I don't know, but she cheated on me and then she lied about it. So whatever she said to me was garbage. Do you think I would take the time out to read her messages or talk to her?" Ulquiorra said. "I despise her but I was trying to be civil."

"I don't really understand. I mean, I understand being hurt or even hating someone for cheating on you. What I don't understand is the need to continue the relationship in any form whatsoever, even in the name of civility. And I'm not saying I still think you're hung up on her. I believe you. But it is just a really weird thing for me to think about. I mean, if you slept with her again and I found out about it, that would be it. There would be no going back. It would be over."

He really wanted to point out that Ginjo cheated on her multiple times but she kept going back to the bastard but he knew that would be taking things too far. "I was trying to avoid conflict. I was trying to avoid fighting. I don't like it. There's no need for drama or theatrics. I thought if I could be friendly to Nel, I could avoid everything that has happened. She doesn't know I figured out that she was unfaithful. She thinks I just got tired of her."

"Oh," she said, surprised. This cast things into a new light. She paced the room a bit as she pondered this new information. "I mean, I guess that's kind of like what I did with Ginjo, but I didn't do it because of potential 'drama', it was because I was afraid he would light my house on fire…" She twisted her mouth around, then pinpointed why this was bothering her. "Why does your mother want to create drama then? I mean, if she has a reason I'm happy to help her, but it just seems petty on the surface."

Ulquiorra chuckled. If he didn't like drama, his mother did. She was from Spain; drama and theatrics ran in the woman's blood. "I think it's to show Nel I'm happy. I think it's to show how much my mother likes you. I think it's because you're someone that my mom thinks is worthy. I don't know. You'd have to ask her."

She offered him a withering smile. "I'd really rather not. I like your mother, but she kind of scares me." She sighed, raising and dropping her shoulders in resignation. "I guess I'll do whatever she wants; it is really not something I look forward to doing but if it will make her happy, I'll be happy. I am just worried that I'm going to get called a whore in front of a bunch of people who don't know me. And now your mother might think there is some truth to that, thanks to the cameras," she huffed and flopped down on the edge of the bed.

"You're going to be going to where Nel works. She's a waitress. My mother knows what it's like to be ridiculously in love. I've heard stories about her and my father from relatives."

She giggled at that, smiling at him warmly. She caught the 'ridiculously in love' bit."

"O, just don't sweat it? Okay? Ignore Nel; show her you're not bothered by her," Ulquiorra said. He stood and walked over to her. "You know I love you. Nel's a whore."

"Well thank you for saying so but let's not bandy that word about, okay?"

Edra was excited. She sat beside Orihime in the back of the car. However, the young lady seemed a bit pensive as they rode along. Renard was driving them on their day out. "So the first thing I have planned is a pedicure and manicure. Then we'll have lunch and then we're going shopping. Have you two made any plans about the wedding yet?"

"Um, well, Ulquiorra told me to plan it myself. He only seems to be interested in having it in Japan. He seems to want it to be somewhat traditional, but I'm not sure if he was thinking, like, Shinto, or just a Japanese-style wedding. I think he has become more interested in Japanese culture than he lets on. He used to complain about it a lot," she laughed. "I am not as worried about it, I think. I just want it to be nice."

"You just want it to be nice? Orihime," Edra said, her voice bordering on a scolding tone. "Unless you want Ulquiorra to plan it, you need to make some decisions. Step up once in a while. Now, I know Ulquiorra said no wedding planner but would you be interested in talking with her?"

"Well, I guess it wouldn't hurt, I mean, I have never even been to a wedding before, so I don't know what I'm doing."

The look of horror on Edra's face was surprising. How many young women had never been to a wedding before? She was just about to say something but then remembered that Orihime was an orphan. "Well for one, I'm sure a Japanese wedding is different from a European wedding. I know a Spanish wedding is very different than a German one. I know. I got married twice technically."

"Oh? You were married to someone before you met Mr. Cifer?" Orihime was intrigued.

"No! I got married to him in Germany and then had another wedding in Spain for all my relatives who couldn't make it. My mother was mad," Edra said smirking at the memory. "You need to decide what you want or else Ulquiorra will decide. When do you think you will give me a grandchild?"

Orihime blushed and plastered on a fake smile. "Um, it's not exactly up to me, and we are both quite young. I'm still only 24, although I'll be 25 in a couple of weeks…" she was rambling in her nervousness. "But I really want children! We've talked about it."

Edra knew her son, at least she thought she did. She never thought Ulquiorra would get married but he surprised her. She never thought she'd have grandkids but now this woman was telling him that they had talked about it. "You're the first woman who he's mentioned the word marriage to. Nel often would talk about what they would do when they were married and Ulquiorra would shy away from her like it was something dirty. He never agreed to it. He didn't want to be tied down to her like that. I hope you realize how special you are. You've made him happy."

Orihime smiled. "I hope so. I think so," she was inclined to go on about it but recalled how Edra had previously asserted that hers and Ulquiorra's relationship was none of her business, so she held back.

"I know so." Edra looked at the woman and smiled. "I have an ulterior motive for today. I told you that we're going to lunch but I plan on introducing you to Nelliel. Are you okay with this?"

"Ulquiorra already told me. He was afraid I would but upset if I didn't know. I'm glad he told me," her warning was implied, although her tone and expression remained sweet. She didn't want this nonsense to become a habit with the older woman. "Anyway, why do you want me to meet Ulquiorra's former lover? She hates me already."

Edra raised an appraising eyebrow at the young woman. Maybe she did have a backbone. "Because sometimes revenge is a dish best served cold. Nelliel treated my son wrongly. So far from what I've seen, you love him for who he is and not his name and what it can bring you. Nel only wanted Ulquiorra to line her pockets."

Orihime nodded. Ulquiorra had told her the same story. There was one thing she didn't understand though, and she didn't think it was a question Ulquiorra was equipped to answer. "So if she was only after money, why didn't she chase after another rich man when Ulquiorra left her? There are plenty of old rich men who would pay for the company of a young woman-" she nearly slapped herself in the mouth for what she had said. Orihime didn't need her future mother-in-law discovering that she was, in fact, the daughter of a real-life whore.

"You mean you don't know?" Edra asked, somewhat shocked. Her brow furrowed and she tilted her head in a way that implied she was curious. "You've never seen a picture of Nel?"

"Well, I've seen parts of her…" Orihime trailed off with a tiny sneer curling her upper lip.

"Parts of her?" Edra shook her head. She didn't want to know. "It's hard to find someone to swindle when you look as young as Nel does."

Orihime immediately felt sick to her stomach. Ulquiorra had been interested in someone who looked very young? Orihime did not fit that description. She had always been assumed to be older than she was. She wasn't able to hide her unease.

Edra saw the way the woman seemed to cringe. She pulled out her phone and tapped the screen. She flipped through the photos she had saved until she came across one. It showed Ulquiorra with a dour expression and Nel with her arms around his neck. "Nel seems to not age. She's as old as Ulquiorra but looks to be only eighteen years old."

The woman handed Orihime her phone.

Orihime did not want to take it but did anyway. The photo confirmed her fears. This woman looked like a child. What was Ulquiorra into? "It appears he has a wide strike range," she said, passing the phone back to Edra with a soulless smile.

"I saw through her scheme and it became even more apparent as we restricted funds. Nel became more and more irate with Ulquiorra. My son became more and more disillusioned with her." Edra frowned then shut the phone off, not wanting to look at the picture either. "Of course, I've not seen Nel in the past year so I could be mistaken, she could have grown up. She constantly made herself appear childish and as time went on, Ulquiorra didn't like it."

It was a small relief to hear that he eventually didn't like Nel's aesthetic. She shook her head and cleared the creeped out feeling from her mind, desiring to focus on the information she needed. "I'm glad to hear that, however, I am still confused. I know that there are plenty of creeps out there who would be happy to part with their money for someone like her. So why do you think she was stuck - is still stuck - on Ulquiorra?"

"Nel only likes men her age. If they're rich and can provide for her, then she'll go after them. At least that is what I've heard," Edra explained and shook her head. "I've also heard that Nel praised Ulquiorra's bedroom prowess but I've heard this before. Cirucci made it known that she-Never mind. I don't even want to think about it."

Orihime couldn't censor her reaction. Luckily for her, she was able to do it in a language Edra didn't understand. "Kimoi! Kimochi warui." She did slap herself over the mouth this time, and looked at Edra with eyes that were simultaneously apologetic and offended.

She saw Orihime's face. The woman knew some about Japanese culture, she'd been reading about it since her son ran away. She'd even got hooked on a Japanese drama show. Edra patted the young woman's arm. "It's alright. I know it's disgusting. Do you think I wanted to hear that? I wanted to tear Nel's head off because that wasn't something to talk about in public and especially not in front of his mother and her friends."

Orihime nodded. She was getting a bit tired of Edra's transparent attempts to get Orihime to join in with Operation: Trash Nel. She figured the fastest way to stop her would just be to align with her voluntarily. "I agree. This Nel is not a good person and must be forced to see that she is nothing to Ulquiorra." It wasn't a lie. She did think it was for the best to cut Nel out of Ulquiorra's life for good. In fact, the more she thought about that, the more eager she was to enact Edra's plan.

"So, when will I meet this girl ?" She said with just enough derision to be perceptible.

It was Renard who interrupted their conversation. "Madam, we're here."

After the manicures and the pedicures, Edra knew where they were headed for lunch. It was a place that Mikhail avoided due to his heartburn problem and Edra had only been there once or twice. It was a place to be avoided like the plague since she found out Nel worked there. It was a tiny place that served decent food. The Spanish woman called ahead to make reservations but everyone knew her last name. She was told that she would be welcomed at any time.

So when they walked into the restaurant, Edra said, "Cifer" and then told the host that they were to be seated where Nelliel would be waiting on them. It took only moments before they were ushered to a table with fabric tablecloths and napkins. Edra smiled graciously and held her head high. "Do you like wine Orihime?" she asked.

"I don't drink a lot of wine, but I believe I would very much like some today," she joked. Despite her resolve to help Edra, her nerves were getting to her.

Edra smiled and nodded. She saw who was headed towards them. It was rather unfortunate that Orihime wasn't facing the same direction as Edra because the older woman saw Nel's face. She saw the shock, the disbelief, the downright look of incredulity that crossed the woman's face in a mere second. Then came that sweet, saccharin smile.

Ulquiorra's mother had never seen Nel with normal-colored hair. It had always been a darker teal and long, spilling over her shoulders. The young woman who had briefly dated her son was tall and looked innocent with her large hazel eyes that held a touch of madness in them. Edra knew why her son had been attracted to Nel. It was hard to avoid a chest that big when it was directly in shoved into one's face. Ulquiorra said it had just happened.

"Mrs. Cifer," Nel smiled. "It's so nice to see you."

"Nel," the woman said in greeting. She spoke in English so that Orihime could follow along in the conversation. "We will start off with a bottle of the 2016 Keller Rheinhessen Dalsheim Hubacker Riesling Grosses Gewächs."

"Oh, is Renard joining you today?" came the question in a tinkling voice.

Edra had to grit her teeth to keep from screaming obscenities at the teal-haired woman. Was she blind? Did she not see the other woman sitting across from her? She smiled, "Not today. It's just me and-Oh, that's right."

Nel just stood there looking uncomfortably happy with a wide smile on her face. "What's right?"

"Nel, this is Orihime, Ulquiorra's wife." Edra gestured at the redhead sitting across from her. She knew it was a bold-faced lie but she had learned it was okay to stretch the truth a bit.

Orihime had started steeling herself as soon as she heard that bitch's voice again. When Edra gave her the cue, Orihime turned around with a brilliantly relaxed smile, looking every bit the beautiful young bride. She raised her brows as if in recognition, and said in a serene voice, "Oh, right. Nel, was it? So nice to put a face to a name."

Nel kept that smile plastered on her face. Edra saw the woman's eyes. Thousands of emotions ran through them before stopping on one. Rage burned behind them and it suited her just fine. What could Nel do? Nothing. Edra was a high profile diner. Nel was just a waitress. The woman knew it was wrong to treat someone like dirt from the ground but this woman was merely trash for what she did to her son.

The teal-haired woman cleared her throat and nodded. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Ci-Ci-Cifer," she finally sputtered. She handed two menus over to Edra and then said, "I'll be right back with your drinks."

Edra watched as Nel retreated and then looked at Orihime with admiration. "Well?" the older woman asked. "You seemed to handle that nicely."

Still smiling, Orihime raised one hand a few inches off the table and allowed the older woman to see how it trembled. "I'm about ready for that bottle of wine now. You might want to order another one for yourself."

"Ha! You did fine. I like you, Orihime." Edra flashed a genuine smile at the Japanese woman. "And you can have all the wine you'd like. Just seeing that bitch's face was enough satisfaction to last me until my last days."

Orihime's smile widened, causing her eyes to crinkle at the corners. "Well, I will drink to that," she laughed then, and it sounded genuinely happy. Then she paused and added, "But seriously, Mrs. Cifer, thank you for this. Despite my inclination to avoid it, this confrontation has been a long time coming."

Edra waved a hand as if she was batting away Orihime's gratitude. "That was not a confrontation. No voices were raised. No ugly glares were exchanged. That was a simple greeting. As my daughter-in-law you need to get used to it," she said. "You are marrying into asociety family. I've done my reading and found that the way we act is not dissimilar to the Japanese concepts of tatemae and honne; you have a duty to maintain two faces: one for the world, and another for yourself and your innermost circle. You seem to be fluent in this social construct. In fact, you have proven today that you can act polite and smile all while throwing magnificently implied insults."

Orihime nodded thoughtfully and smiled at the 'compliment'. She made the decision then and there to never let her guard down around this woman. "So, Mrs. Cifer, now that we have completed this mission, what is next on the agenda?"

"If you'll indulge me just a bit more, dear. There's one more thing I want to do." She caught sight of that funny colored hair and gave Orihime a wink. "Shopping," Edra stated with a smirk

"Ooh, what are we shopping for?" Orihime asked, trying to get into the spirit.

As soon as Nel was in earshot, Edra said, "Well we need to pick up some outfits and a stroller. I was just so excited to hear that you and Ulquiorra are going to be parents!"

There was a crash. Edra lifted her head to see Nel standing there with her mouth hanging open. The older woman looked at the floor where two wine glasses lay shattered. The bottle of wine was on its side, spilling all over the floor. There was the look that Edra was waiting for. The broken-hearted, crushed expression. It was as if Nel's hopes and dreams had been annihilated.

Nelliel Tu Oderschrank deserved it. She had hurt her child. Mikhail told her all about that phone call when Ulquiorra explained to his father that he had gone to Japan. "Slippery fingers, Nel?" Her tone was sympathetic with a frown on her face. "Poor dear. We all have those days. I stumbled over a step the other day."

Orihime almost felt sorry for Nel. Almost. Then she remembered the lies and the pictures, and she smiled a wicked little grin for just a moment, before training it back into something more characteristic.

Nel apologized and picked up the mess before running into the staff area. Edra would be surprised if she saw Nel again while they were there.

Nel sniffled and swiped at her nose with the tissue. How dare that evil woman bring that dirty whore into her workplace. How dare Edra Cifer flaunt that nasty woman in Nel's face. That redhead was ugly. She was just downright ugly! Not to mention that the old hag had the audacity to mention that the whore was pregnant.

That explained everything.

This Orihime had trapped Ulquiorra and schemed for a way to keep him by getting pregnant. Her hazel eyes narrowed and she carefully blotted the area under her eyes as to not ruin her makeup. She already ruined her mascara by sobbing over that green-eyed bastard.

She took her phone out of her pocket and tapped a number. After the conversation she had, Nel smiled as she went about the rest of her shift.

Ulquiorra was sitting in a pub with Yammy and Szayel. He'd picked up the pink-haired man earlier that morning to take ring shopping and while Szayel was fashionable, he was an utter twit when it came to trying to pick out the perfect ring for Orihime. His woman needed something that was stylish, yet timeless. She wouldn't want some big flashy rock or some garishly colorful ring. This was to be a ring she would always wear and never take off except for swimming. He didn't know. It seemed like his mother never took hers off but then again, his mom had the help of an army of household staff to clean toilets and do dishes.

They had met Yammy later at the bar for drinks. The big man was being loud and laughing. Szayel was quiet and kept looking at his phone. Ulquiorra sat there thinking about all the choices he had when it came to jewelry. This was a big decision. He thought about calling Orihime to ask her what she thought but what was the point of buying a ring for her to wear on the day they got married?

"Do you think you're perhaps over thinking this matter, Cifer?" Szayel said. "Didn't you already propose and surprise her with a ring?"

Ulquiorra nodded and shifted his gaze from his drink to his friend. "And?"

The man brought a perfectly manicured finger up to his lips. "I think you're supposed to pick your wedding rings out with her."

"I don't even know if wedding rings are a thing in Japan," Ulquiorra replied. He was getting irritated because it was true. He knew nothing about how things were done. Orihime hadn't said anything and she sure as hell wasn't making decisions about the plans! He slumped further into the booth and frowned. Maybe they should talk to the wedding planner. Maybe they should have the wedding in Germany at the end of this month.

He idly wondered if that would spur the woman into taking some action.

"We could have a bachelor party for Ulquiorra." Yammy's voice grated over his already fraying nerves. "We could find ourselves in a gentlemen's club with-"

"No, thank you," he snapped. "I think I need to head back to my parents. All that happened on this adventure was my mood becoming dismal and you two idiots-"

"We're not idiots," Szayel pouted and adjusted the frames of his glasses. "Yammy may be an idiot, but I am not."

This made Ulquiorra roll his eyes. "Let me know when all of you assholes can hang out. I'll introduce you to Orihime."

With that Ulquiorra stood and made his way out to his car that was parked on a side street. He was so preoccupied with his thoughts that he didn't hear footsteps behind him. He didn't even care if he was being followed. It wasn't until he had almost reached his car that he was shoved and then slammed against the side of the vehicle.

Big hands turned him around and he was faced with two angry men. Livid blue and green eyes stared him down. He hadn't seen these faces in over a year and a half. "Bazz. Grimmjow." The voice was strangled because Grimmjow had his hand around Ulquiorra's throat.

"This salud ," Grimmjow spat.

"A stupid asshole," Bazz stated in an angry tone.

"You like sending people to Nel's workplace? You like making her upset?" Grimmjow shook him with every word. His head fell back and forth. "Do you get some sick, perverted pleasure sending your whore to make Nel cry?"

Ulquiorra's head hit the car with a loud thud. He saw bright spots when it happened, vision swimming when he was able to open his eyes and not be in pain. "What the fuck are you talking about?"

It was the guy with the red mohawk who answered. "You sent your mother and wife to harass Nelliel."

With one final shake that made sure his head connected with the car again, Grimmjow let Ulquiorra go and he slumped to the pavement.

"You keep your bitch away from Nel," Grimmjow threatened. "Or next time, we'll use our fists on that pretty boy face of yours."